


Harmonious Thievery

by PoeticPanda11



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Don't Judge Me, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Help, Humor, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inappropriate Humor, Iruma Miu Being Iruma Miu, Iruma Miu's Dirty Mouth, M/M, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Other, POV Alternating, Persona 5 Spoilers, Pre-Game Personalities (New Dangan Ronpa V3), Sexual Humor, Some Humor, Sort Of, Spoilers, Tags Are Hard, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, Will add more tags along the way, it's a mix of pre-game and in-game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 54,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24302185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticPanda11/pseuds/PoeticPanda11
Summary: Before Kurusu Akira moved to Tokyo and was convicted of a false crime, two wild card users have gotten a head start of him. Can Kaede and Shuichi assist the Phantom Thieves with their own ragtag group?
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 61
Kudos: 77





	1. Prologue Part 1: A New Game Will Begin

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is my first ever crossover fic between two big series: Persona and Danganronpa. (Lord help me through this). 
> 
> I was inspired to write out this fic because of the amazing art I saw on twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/cheerkitty14/status/1250217126075473922  
> https://twitter.com/cheerkitty14/status/1250217289561051136
> 
> Shout out to @cheerkitty14 on Twitter for making me inspired to do this with their amazing art! Give them a follow!
> 
> WARNING: SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES IN THIS PROJECT! SPECIFICALLY DRV3!  
> If you have not played or finished both games then avoid this! If you are even remotely interested in either games and you want to play them, then avoid this until you've beaten both games! Or if you don't care then go right ahead and read this! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
> 
> I should let you know that this will be following along the P5 vanilla storyline.

Today is just another day. The same old, boring, repetitive, uneventful, day.

It feels like I’m stuck in a rut; doing the same thing every day. Wake up, go to school, go home, eat, do homework, practice piano when I have free time, sleep, and repeat. I live alone at an apartment. My parents are sending me money to pay rent for the place I’m staying in. I had been chosen to attend a school in Tokyo that has a striving performing arts class, due to my prodigious skills of playing the piano.

Prodigious. That’s… one way to put it.

I learned the piano at a young age. My parents made sure I was dedicated to the darn thing whenever I had free time in my hands. I’ve learned a lot of classical pieces to even modern pop songs on the radio. And yeah, I’ve won a few contests and trophies for it.

But… now I just feel so… uninterested.

I don’t even know if I want to pursue a music career. Playing the piano is just a casual thing. Though with each passing day I just feel so uninspired to learn a new piece. Not to mention the state of what’s happening. Lots of train accidents happening, calling it ‘mental shutdowns.’ The conductor would somehow lose their senses, causing the trains to-

No. I can’t think about that now. It’ll just make me even more depressed.

My stomach growled at me. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch. Luckily I did buy a sandwich at the school store before I left. I took a seat at a nearby bench and sighed. I opened up my bag and felt around for something soft and wrapped in plastic. Fishing out the sandwich, I unwrapped it and took a bite of the egg sandwich.

I focused on eating my sandwich, trying to not think about the possibility that the train I’m taking to get to my apartment will get into an accident. It’s always something in my mind every time I take it to school and back. I’ve watched from news how some people are happy that accidents like that are happening, where people are dying and getting hurt.

It made me think how rotten the world is…

Someone sat on the same bench as me to my left, bringing me out of my thoughts. I slightly turn my head to see a boy in a dark colored school outfit, different from the guys in my school. He wore a hat that looked like it fit the dress code too. Very formal but… I think he’d look better without the hat. He leaned back against the bench and sighed quietly, rubbing his eyes.

Yeah, I feel you there stranger.

Feeling my phone vibrate, I decided to check it out for the time being since I still have a bit of time before I have to go to the underground railway. When I opened it up, something caught my eye. An app I… don’t remember downloading. It looked… kind of creepy. Red and black decorated the app with an eyeball in the center. Did I somehow download it when I was tiredly scrolling through games in the app shop?

Deciding to not bother opening it in fear of it being some kind of virus, I deleted it. That was weird. In the corner of my eye I notice the boy had brought out his phone too. He hummed curiously at something in front of his phone, tapped the screen a few times and put it away. He sat up straight and sighed again.

Just as I was about to take another bite of my sandwich, something else caught my eye.

Something… blue?

It fluttered in front of me. A butterfly?

And… it looked like it was glowing. It was… pretty.

It then fluttered over to the boy and he eyed it cautiously. Soon enough it fluttered away from us and we both watched it fly into the sky. I blinked a couple of times and rubbed my eyes with the back of my free hand. Am I hallucinating now? Am I seriously that tired? There’s no way a butterfly like that existed, right?

Shaking my head, I finished the rest of my sandwich and threw the plastic in to the bin next to me. I stood up and dusted my uniform from any crumbs and made my way to the station.

* * *

Once I had walked down the stairs leading to the underground subway and swiped my Suica card at the gates, I decided to take the elevator instead of walking further deeper into the underground. The stairs looked tiring to walk down on. I looked ahead to see no one waiting for the elevator, much to my convenience.

I’m not so anti-social that I want to steer away from human interaction. I’m just not in the mood today to share the elevator with people. I pressed the button to signal going down and waited. It didn’t take very long for it to arrive and open the doors for me. I stepped in and face back to notice that it was… empty in the underground.

Huh. Guess people are in a hurry.

I blinked and the elevators closed. I leaned against the handrails as I waited for it to stop at my floor to where I need to take the train. As I waited, I thought about what homework to start. Math is pretty boring. Japanese Literature sounded just as boring. I didn’t feel like practicing the piano immediately either. I sighed again. Maybe I just need actual food first and unwind before I start taking care of what I need to do. I’ll probably have a clear mind after to figure out what to do.

After a few minutes, I felt… something was wrong.

I looked up and felt that the elevator was still going down. It shouldn’t be taking this long to get down to where I need to get off. Suddenly, the lights started flickering and my heart started beating a bit faster.

“What’s… going on?!” I said without me realizing it.

Without warning the elevator suddenly dropped faster, feeling my body float up slightly at the speed. I held on to the hand rail behind me and screamed. I crouched down as I held on to the handrail, trying to brace for impact when the elevator crashes to the bottom. The lights flickered faster and soon they go out, making me yelp.

I didn’t know what was happening. I’m going to die. I’m going to die here.

My eyes were squeezed shut, feeling a bit of tears at the corner of my eyes as I held on for dear life. Until I felt the elevator slowed down. I opened my eyes slightly and it was still dark, the lights were out. I closed them shut again, whimpered in the corner of the elevator as it slowed down even more, almost nearing to a stop.

And it did.

_Nothing._

The elevator stopped going down and it stopped gently.

_No light. No sound._

I peek open to see that it was still dark. But… peeking through the small gaps of the elevator doors was a red light. It was quiet as well. The silence was unnerving. Soon enough, the lights of the elevator came back on, drowning out the red light that peeked through.

_No form. No voice._

Aside from me in the elevator, no one else was with me. It made me glad and anxious at the same time. Glad that no one appeared in the elevator with me during the dark but anxious that I might be trapped in here now. It was quiet until I let out a deep breath that I didn’t realize I’ve been holding. I slowly got up with my bag and wiped the side of my eyes.

_No knowledge of who I am._

_…Who I am?_

_Who am I?_

I searched my body to find no injuries or anything weird. I touched my face to find nothing out of the ordinary.

_I extend a hand._

_A hand that belongs to no one._

I reached out for the button to open the door…

_To take hold of my existence-_

The elevator doors opened…

This is me. My name is Kaede Akamatsu.

I just remembered who I am.

Nice to meet…me.

I’m the protagonist of this crazy story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Insert "But that's Kaede's lie!" meme in the comments*
> 
> Truth be told I'm playing through P5R as I type out this story so if I decide to throw in Kasumi (or not at all) and other P5Royal content, it is to fit the story.
> 
> I will also skim through (if not, never touch upon) a few things such as the confidants for the two new wild card users.
> 
> If there are any inconsistencies between each game, please let me know and I will rectify it. New chapters will come in as soon as I can get them up. Again, this is my first crossover fic and it's betwee two big series. Hope you can a bit forgiving with me but I will do my best to make this entertaining for you!
> 
> If you liked the first chapter, leave a kudos and comment!


	2. Prologue Part 2: A Deadly Maze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First half of this chapter is the game dialogue in the beginning of DRV3. Easier to just transcript the text instead of coming up with new words for the two characters meeting.

…

…

It took a few minutes to process what I was looking at.

Everything was an eerie red color. The walls of the subway station, the gates that lead deeper into the underground, everything. It looked straight out of a horror movie. My legs felt like jelly as I looked at my surroundings. I took a step forward but in doing so, I stumbled out of the elevator in a daze. But as soon as I did, I fell on the ground.

“Ahh!?”

I couldn’t even brace for impact as blinding pain suddenly rushed through my head. I clutched the side of my head and groaned in pain. But thanks to the pain, I went from dazed to confused real quick.

“Huh? Wait, where am I? What is this place?”

My forehead is throbbing. This is definitely going to leave a bump. I looked around again, trying to ignore the pain on my head. This looks like the underground subway. But there’s no sign of any people or any security. It just looks like… I stumbled into the Hell version of the subway.

“Am I… just dreaming? I just have to pinch myself, right?”

I pinched my cheek but all that did was make my head hurt in two places instead of one. Okay, let’s just stay calm and think this through. But confused as I was, I tried to remember how I ended up here. Other than taking the elevator…

Wait, the elevator!

I turn back to see that the elevator had closed on my way out. I banged on the door to open up to no avail. I pressed the button to go up but it didn’t light up. Is it… broken? Oh my God. I’m… stuck down here now? No, hold on. There’s another elevator to my right!

I banged on the door and pressed the button to go up again but no avail either.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

I took a step back from the elevator and turned back to the gates. Should I… go further? Is there an exit further down? I’m… a little scared. I decide to walk up to the gates and as I got close, they opened up and made me jump a bit. Guess I don’t need to use my Suica card. I pass through the gate and walked a few steps.

Wait, my phone! I could call someone for help! I bring my phone out immediately but I immediately notice the words ‘no cell service’ on the top right corner of my screen.

“Oh come on!”

Just then, I heard a ‘Ding’ sound behind me. I jumped and turned back. The elevator to my had lit up. Does that mean… it’s here to pick me up?! Joy and relief washing over me, I ran back to the gates and passed through them. Just as I was about to run up to the elevator, a loud ‘bang’ sound came from inside it.

“Whoa!!!”

I jumped back a bit, not expecting that sound. Not long after, the elevator doors opened and…

A boy came stumbling out.

“Hnnng…”

A normal boy dressed in a high school uniform… Wait, this is the same boy that sat next to me on the bench!

He looked bewildered, and when he slowly lifted his head…

“…Ah! Aaugh!!”

He screamed as if he’d just seen a monster, fell on his butt, and scooted back. Just as I was about to help him out, I notice the elevator doors closing behind him.

“H-Hey! Don’t let them close!” I made a quick dash, hoping to put my arm through so that it wouldn’t close fully.

“W-Wha???”

But… I didn’t make it in time.

“N-No! No, no, please open up!” I banged on it again and pressed the button to open it up but it was useless. I sighed again and slumped my shoulders.

“Wh-Who are you?!” I turned to the voice of the boy. “Wh-Where am I…? What is this place?! What’re you gonna do to me?!”

“H-Hey! Hold on.” I firmly gripped his shoulders. “What’s your name?”

“…Huh?” He blinks at me, taking a second to realize the question I asked. “Ah, I’m… Shuichi Saihara.”

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu. Now, listen to me Saihara…” I inhale for a breath. “Shut up! You’re not the only one who’s confused right now!”

“Ah, sorry…”

After making him shut up, I let go of him and retraced my steps again.

“Okay, so I took my usual route from school to the subway. I took a quick break on a bench and ate a sandwich. Then I took headed to the underground, took the elevator and wound up here.”

Saihara stood up. “It’s the same with me. W-Well, except the sandwich part.”

I crossed my arms. “Jeez… what’s going on? Why did this happen to you and me?”

“Yeah… I’m just as lost as you are.” Saihara looked around the area. “And… this should be the underground subway, right? Why does it look like this?”

“I wonder why…” I looked ahead of us. It’s scary and it just screams “Danger! Do Not Enter!”. If the elevators aren’t working, then maybe there’s an exit somewhere further down?

I turn back to Saihara. “Anyway, let’s just stay calm and think. I’m sorry I shouted at you earlier.”

“Ah, no, it’s okay…” He scratches his face with a finger. “I… shouldn’t have yelled at you too. Anyway, this place is… weird. You don’t think we got caught up in something bad, do you?” He turns back to me.

I turn my gaze back down. “Something bad…?”

_What’s going on? What have we gotten ourselves into?_

“Well, standing around isn’t going to do us any good. The elevators don’t seem to be working after they’ve sent us down here, which is really weird.” I look back towards the gates then back to him. “Hey Saihara, let’s just get out of here as fast as we can and find some help! Maybe there’s an exit or way out somewhere deeper in there.”

“Y-Yeah… Good idea.” He nods to me. “Oh, um… you can just call me Shuichi. I don’t really do well with honorifics.” He fiddles with the flap of his hat.

I smile at him. “Okay. You can call me Kaede then.” He smiles back at me.

We crossed through the gates and made our way down the stairs as fast as we could.

* * *

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were greeted with a railway and more red painted across the subway. I decided to have us walk along the space between the railway tracks and follow where it goes. Shuichi seemed hesitant but we aren’t gonna go anywhere if we just chicken out of finding an exit in this whatever the heck this place is.

As we walked, we kept finding winding paths, which many of them lead to dead ends. Not only that, we would somehow get lost.

“I… I think we might be lost Shuichi.” I scratched my head. Did we come from that way? Or are we back where we started?

“Uh… yeah. I don’t remember where we came from.” He frantically looked around.

“Ah jeez, what is this place?! I’m so sick of this already!” I said a little louder than I wanted to.

Out of nowhere, we heard an ungodly sound echo somewhere deep within this maze of railways.

“W-What w-was that?!” I said.

“Ah… I-I have no clue…”

There was another inhumane sound that came from behind us, sending chills down my spine. I turn back to see nothing but the sound definitely came from there.

“We should… probably not stick around to find out what that was…” I said.

“Y-Yeah… let’s go back this way Kaede.”

Shuichi and I ran as fast as we could, not wanting to know what made that noise. We ran and ran until we came up on intersections. Sometimes I’d choose where to go and sometimes he’d choose where to go.

But no matter which way we picked, everything looked the same. We stopped to catch a breath for a moment. I wasn’t the most athletic so I was doubled over heaving.

“I’m… sorry Kaede… I don’t know… where to go.” Shuichi said between breaths.

“It’s… okay… I’m positive… we’ll get out of here.” I tried to put on a brave face but even I know that I have doubts. Once I was able to catch my breath, I lead the way again. We followed the pathway to who knows where.

And we saw something unimaginable up ahead.

“W-What is that?!” I said as we stopped.

What looked like a giant humanoid mass made of dark matter stood before us. It turned it’s for us to see that it’s face looked like it was wearing a mask.

“A m-monster?!” Shuichi said.

The monster noticed us and fully turned to us. Letting out that same unholy roar.

“Th-This is bad! We need to get out of here!” I start backing away.

“O-Okay! C’mon!” Shuichi grabbed me by the wrist and we ran back to where we came from.

As we ran, we heard the stomping of the monster behind us. I just followed Shuichi to wherever he ran. Somehow there was a second monster that blocked our path but it didn’t seem to have noticed us, so Shuichi gestured for me to ran the other way with him.

“Ah jeez, what are those things?!” I said as I ran.

“N-No idea!” Shuichi said.

We came up to a four way intersection now. We slowed to a stop, thankful that the first monster had stopped following us. I was doubled over once again.

“Heeey!!! You two!!!”

We looked up ahead to see… another person waving to us. They ran towards us with a weird outfit. It looked like they were wearing a mask too. That’s a weird get up. As he got closer, we noticed he has green hair, and he was probably the same age as us.

“Hey. You guys shouldn’t be down here.” He said in a cool, calm voice.

“W-Well yeah! We know that! We just ran for our lives from some giant monster!”

“Wh-Who are you?” Shuichi asked.

Before the masked guy could answer, another roar came from our left. We turned to see black liquid materializing from the ground and slowly build up to the hulking monster we were running from?

“S-Seriously?!” I backed away.

“I got this. Stay back.” The masked guy stepped forward.

“W-What?! You’re gonna get killed!” Shuichi said wide eyed.

“Trust me. Just stay back and watch.” He turned back to us with a sincere smile.

Shuichi and I shared an unsure glance but agreed to step back a bit. The monster roared again and suddenly it split itself into two smaller monsters now. They both had a jack-o-lantern for heads and wore like a magicians cloak and hat.

The masked guy pulled out a gun from somewhere and fired three shots. I jumped at the noise but it knocked down one of the pumpkin monsters.

He put away the gun and suddenly, blue fire came out of the guy’s mask. It freaked me out for a second but it didn’t look like he was hurt. He grabbed on to his mask and muttered something.

“Come forth, Khonsu!”

Blue fire danced around the masked guy and something materialized above him. It looked like an Egyptian God of some sort, wearing a bird headpiece. Shuichi and I couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

“Wh-Whoa!!!” I stared wide eyed.

“Shred it. Garu!” The green haired guy pointed to one of the monsters and out of nowhere, a swift gust of wind engulfed it and shredded the monster, dispersing it into nothing.

The Egyptian being disappeared after and now he pulled out a different weapon. Some kind of carry able medieval ball and chain?

“A flail?” Shuichi muttered.

The masked guy dashed for the downed monster and swung the weapon at it a few times. With one last swing to bring the ball down to the head of the monster, it was finished. It evaporated just as the first pumpkin monster did.

“Alright.” He turned and walked back to us. “I told you I got it.” He crossed his arms and gave us a smug look.

I… didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t even process what I just saw.

“Uh… umm…” Shuichi said.

“What did I… just witness?”

“I guess it’s natural for you two to be in shock.” He chuckled. “I’ll explain everything to you guys when we get out of here. C’mon, I know the way out.”

He started walking ahead of us. Shuichi and I just stared at his back for a few seconds until he turned his head to us and made a gesture to follow him. “It’d be bad if you guys just stood around like that. More Shadows could show up.”

“O-Oh… right. Let’s just… follow him for now Shuichi.” I patted his shoulder.

“Y-Yeah…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Khonsu is the Egyptian God of the Moon. His name means "traveller" so DRV3 people will know this character is (hopefully).


	3. Prologue Part 3: Two Tricksters Were Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I kind of lost motivation writing this out, seeing as I have to come up with how the V3 kids would even acquire their Personas. Not only that but, this story is still shaky in terms of plot. I really just wanted the Phantom Thieves to meet them as a separate group of Persona users.
> 
> Well, fingers crossed I can make this good. This is also the last part of the prologue, sorry if it looks rushed.

We walked along the long winding ways of the red maze. We had exchanged formalities with the masked boy and learned his name was Rantaro Amami (he didn’t mind if we called him Rantaro). He tried to explain as best as he could on what we saw and what place we’re in right now: Mementos I think is what he called this place we’re in, the Egyptian being he summoned was called a Persona, the monsters he fought are called Shadows, and Kaede and I were transported here because we must have been caught in the transition when Rantaro warped over here.

It was a lot to take in all at once. Not to mention the creepy navigation app that had appeared in Kaede’s phone and mine. Rantaro explained that that app is the way to get in here if you type it in. It was called the MetaNav and no matter how many times I deleted it, it would reappear. He also said that Mementos was created by the desires of everyone in Tokyo. He didn’t go into much further detail into it as he isn’t quite sure what that means either. As we listened to his explanations, I took in the attire he was wearing.

He wore a mask over his eyes that was blue and had splotches of dark green in irregular placements. The mask didn’t even have strings for it to latch on to the back of his head; it just stuck close to his face. His attire looked like it came out of a movie. He wore a long grey trench coat with a dark navy blue sweater vest and a white dress shirt with a black tie underneath it. He also wore shin high boots that kind of like the ones a medieval archer would wear and the washed out grey pants folded in the boots. Not to mention a few ear piercings that stood out on his right ear.

“So… how did you even enter Mementos and acquire such amazing powers, Rantaro?” Kaede asked.

“Just you like you guys, the MetaNav made its way to my phone. I got sucked in here as I took the elevator to the subway. As for my powers, I found myself trapped against those Shadows and was in a pretty bad spot. I really thought I was going to die here. But somehow, I got lucky and a companion showed up and got rid of them.”

“A companion? Someone else was down here?” I asked.

“It wasn’t a person, rather it was…” He paused for a second. “I’m not quite sure what to call it. It looks like a cat but it said it wasn’t a cat.”

“What? That sounds confusing.” Kaede scratched her head.

“Trust me it is. It’s name was Morgana. It also had a Persona, which is how it got rid of the Shadows.”

“But… that doesn’t really explain how _you_ got your own Persona.” I said.

“Don’t worry, I was gonna get to that.” He chuckled. “Morgana showed me the way to escape this place until we got ambushed by more Shadows. Morgana had taken a beating from them so I had to help out somehow. I ran and punched one of them to get them off of the cat but it just agitated it more. It retaliated back with a strong attack on me. At that time, I really thought I was gonna die.” He sighs. “But then, I heard this voice in my head. It told me to make a contract with it, to unleash it and keep surviving. To fight back.”

“And that’s what that Egyptian God we saw hover over you.” Kaede nodded.

“Right. I fought back and helped Morgana back to his feet, err- paws, and made my way out of here.”

“But why are you back here?” I asked.

“I came to see Morgana. They said that there’s something deep in Mementos that’s related to it and I wanna help figure it out. It’s the least I could do for it saving my life.” He shrugged. “But it disappeared last week. Been down here every day training and trying to find Morgana but to no avail.”

“You… don’t think that Morgana could have been…” I hesitated to finish my words.

“No. I don’t think it would go down that easily. I’m sure Morgana is somewhere. But if I’m being honest, Mementos interests me too.”

“Why? You could die down here.” Kaede said.

“I’ve practiced being stealthy and avoid battles I know I can’t win.”

This is all a bizarre situation. There’s no way the public or the detective agency would ever believe in this. Yet I believe in what he’s saying. I guess… since I’ve seen everything he’s said as proof (besides Morgana) I’m able to believe it. He doesn’t seem to be lying.

“Why are you wearing those clothes though? And that mask?” Kaede pointed.

“It’s just something that comes when you acquire a Persona, I guess.” Rantaro shrugs. “We’re almost out of here.”

As we turn the corner, we stumbled upon another giant Shadow that caught us off guard.

“Eeeek!” Kaede fell backwards.

“You two, get ba-” Before Rantaro could finish his sentence, the Shadows swiped at him and he skidded a few meters away.

“R-Rantaro!” Kaede and I called out.

The Shadow split off into tiny pixies now, three of them. Two of them went after Rantaro while Kaede and I had to deal with one. It giggled evilly at us and it pointed at Kaede, sending a lightning bolt at her without warning.

“Gaahh!!” She was knocked back as well.

“K-Kaede!!!”

The pixie wasn’t letting up so it charged up another electric attack. Kaede clutched her side and it didn’t look like she could take another. The pixie pointed at her again and I ran in front of Kaede to take the blow.

“Graahah!!!” I fell to one knee.

“Sh-Shuichi!”

The pixie flew up to me and started kicking me. How could a small monster like this hurt so bad?! “K-Kaede! Get… out of here- guh!” It dive kicked me in the stomach.

“N-No! I can’t leave you here!”

Suddenly, Kaede clutched her head and she whined in pain.

“K-Kaede?!” The pixie stopped and turned back to Kaede as well.

I wasn’t sure what was happening to her. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. I tried to get up to get to her but I was in pain myself. She crumpled fully to the floor and rolled around, eyes wide open, and grunting out in agony. The pixie huffed and flew to Kaede.

“N-No!” I tried to reach out to her in futile.

The pixie was getting ready to attack again. It flew up a few meters, preparing for a dive kick. Kaede was still wriggling in pain, defenseless. The pixie swooped down and just as the attack was about to connect…

“AAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Kaede let out a wail, echoing through the tunnel. A strong gust of wind unleashed from her scream and it knocked back the pixie.

“Ah… Kaede?”

Kaede lowered her head and a purple mask had appeared on her face. “Wh-What the…?” Kaede felt the mask on her face and attempted to take it off but it wouldn’t budge. Each time she tried to pry the mask of her face, she would let out another grunt of pain. Soon the pixie got its bearings and swooped in to attack her again.

With all her might, Kaede pulled away the mask while screaming in pain. Droplets of blood spilled as she tore the mask off. Blood covered the top half of Kaede’s face. The pixie stopped in her tracks seeing that.

“K-Kaede! Are you okay?!”

She raised her head and opened her eyes. What was once lavender eyes now turned to golden irises. She scowled at the pixie and blue flames engulfed her. As blue flames swirled around her, a voice wailed and accompanied it was the sound of a rapid piano melody.

After a few seconds, the flame started dying down and Kaede came into view. But she was no longer in her school uniform. She had now had on an elegant pink and purple dress. A purple bow planted across her chest, pink arm elbow length gloves and a floral accessory on the side of her head.

A figure materialized above her. It wore a white gown with black accents across. It almost looked like rows of piano keys. Circling around the figure was a glowing music scale.

“Could… that be…” I stared with wide eyes.

“I… I refuse to die here!” Kaede said. “And I’m not gonna leave you guys down here either!” She looked over to me and gave a smile. She looked up to the figure above her. “I will lend you my voice for your power.” She then stared at the pixie. “Let’s do this, Echo!”

* * *

It was an incredible sight to see. Kaede was able to hold her own against the Shadow and was able to dispatch it. We rushed over to Rantaro who was able to dispatch the Shadows that attacked him. Kaede seems to have a healing power in her Persona as Rantaro was in good condition again.

“I didn’t expect you to awaken to a Persona, Kaede.” Rantaro smoothed out his coat.

“I… I didn’t either. But… something inside me just surfaced up. When I saw Shuichi being attacked, I felt powerless. I wanted to help and that’s when I heard a voice.”

“Well, congratulations. You are now a Persona user.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” She sheepishly rubs the back of her neck.

I felt like I was third wheeling, felt out of place. I didn’t have a Persona. Would I even awaken to one?

“Okay. Let’s get going. The exit is just up ahead.” Rantaro lead the way again.

We reached the familiar stairs up to the gates, the two elevators up ahead. “We tried using the elevators but they didn’t open up for us.” I said.

“Ah. Check your guy’s phones. You should see the MetaNav.” Rantaro pointed out.

Kaede and I whipped out our phones and sure enough we see the creepy icon of an eye in black and red color scheme. “It’s back. I don’t understand, I’m not a Persona user like you guys. Why did this come back?”

“Who knows? You might awaken to one.” Rantaro smiled. “Anyway, all you have to do is input ‘Real World’ onto the search bar and press the up button on the elevator. We’ll be back home in no time.”

“Uhh, R-e-a-l W-o-r-ld.” Kaede said as she typed in the letters.

We passed the gates and noticed the up button was lit up. I pressed it and the elevator doors open. “Yes! It worked!” Kaede jumped with glee. We stepped into the elevator and let the container take us up. After a few minutes, Kaede and Rantaro’s outfits reverted back to normal. No purple dress, no long coat, and no masks. Rantaro was in, what I presume to be, his school uniform.

“Oh, my dress is gone.” Kaede looked at her hands to find the purple gloves were gone.

“Yeah, that’s gonna happen when you go and leave Mementos. I’m not quite sure why our clothes change but I don’t mind. Makes me feel like some kind of hero with a superpower.” Rantaro shrugged.

“That’s one way to put it.” I chimed in.

“Hey Rantaro. Would it be imposing if I ask to join you to venture further into Mementos? I’m actually curious about it now. I wanna help out.” Kaede pumped her fist with determination.

“Are you sure Kaede? I-It’s dangerous down there.” I looked at her incredulously.

“Well, it’s true that we can get seriously hurt. But, I want to know why this place even appeared Shuichi. This place is dangerous. Both of us almost died if Rantaro didn’t come and save us. I… I want to protect anyone that may have accidentally accessed this place. If we can find a way to get rid of Mementos, then no one will get hurt from the things down here.” She looked at me and I can see the fire in her eyes.

She’s… amazing.

“Are you sure you want to help me, Kaede? You only did just meet me for a small amount of time. I promise I’m not a bad guy, but… that kind of trust can be detrimental if you’re not careful.” He eyes her seriously.

“I can tell you’re not a bad person. Plus, from what we’ve seen so far you’re telling the truth. And you did save us after all. We are in your debt.” She smiles.

“Oh no, you don’t have to repay me. I’m just glad to have stumbled upon you two on my traverse.”

“Please Rantaro? Can I join you? I really want to help!” She takes his hand in his and it catches the green haired boy off guard. Seeing the determination in her eyes, he sighs. “Okay, if that’s what you want then I guess I could use an extra hand.” Kaede smiles and lets go of his hands. “Your Persona has a healing ability so it will definitely come in handy.”

Soon after, we reached the top and the elevator doors open. The MetaNav notified us that we’ve returned to the real world, with civilians walking in and out of the subway station. Before we left, we all exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways.

My train ride home was quiet. Kaede and Rantaro stepped out ahead of me. My uncle is gonna question me for being late. I’ll just have to come up with an excuse.

* * *

By the time I got to my apartment, the sun was starting to set. I unlocked the door to my apartment and entered in, feeling the hunger set in as I was in Mementos for who knows how long. I still can’t believe everything that happened: Personas, Shadows, Mementos, Rantaro and his mission, Shuichi and I almost dying. I let out a breath and dropped my bag to the floor. I have to make use of the time I have left to finish my studies. Guess I’m not gonna have time to practice piano.

I look over to the piano. It’s not a grand piano as there was no way it was going to fit in my tiny apartment. It’s just a Yomaha keyboard piano with a stand. I’ve been so uninspired to learn new pieces but after today, I think I’ll try to fit in something before I go to bed.

After I’ve eaten, studied, and learned how to play Moonlight Sonata first movement, I changed into my pajamas and laid on my bed, stifling a yawn. “Man, what a day…” I grabbed my phone to set my alarm.

Once I set my alarm my eyes sit on the MetaNav. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how creepy it looks. Why was I chosen though? What does it all mean?

“This is all so confusing.” I rubbed my eyes. I set aside my phone and pulled the cover over me. If this was all a dream, I wasn’t sure if I’d be glad or not.

…

…

I can… feel myself waking up. I groggily open my eyes.

“Nghh…” Why… is my bed… so uncomfortable?

…

Wait…

Why… is there a chain dangling above me? And… the walls… this isn’t… my bedroom?

“Huh?!” I wake up with a jolt. Taking in my surroundings, I’m in a prison cell? Why am I here?! And… my clothes changed too! There’s… shackles on me too?!

*chuckle*

I turn to the sound of a child-like giggle. Behind the bars, a little girl in a blue uniform appears. She has an eyepatch on her left eye and it looked like her hair was tied in a long braid.

“Wha… who… are you?” I got up from the slab of concrete I laid on and walked to the bars. “Wh-Whoa!” I felt something heavy against my leg as I tried to take a step. Looking back behind me, my ankle was shackled to an iron ball. “What the…?” I turn back to the girl in front of me. “H-Hey! Who are you? And… why am I here?!” I stepped closer to the bar.

The girl didn’t say anything. She stared at me for a second and stepped to the side. I look up ahead past her and see another girl, standing next to another cell. Same height, same blue uniform, same eyepatch but it was on her right eye, and her hair was tied up in two buns on the side of her head. Are they twin sisters?

But what caught my eye was…

“Sh-Shuichi?!”

“K-Kaede?!”

Across from me, Shuichi was inside a prison cell too. He had the same black and white prison garb and he even has a hat included.

Another chuckle echoed the room. Shuichi and I looked off to the side to see… an old man sitting in front of a desk. His… nose is freakishly long. He was… smiling creepily too.

He stuck out a gloved hand towards us.

“Tricksters… Welcome to my Velvet Room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be slow on this project since I'm currently brainstorming for this project.


	4. A New School Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait y'all. Lost motivation to write this and had a hard time writing out this official first chapter.

Today starts my new day at Shujin Academy. Meeting and talking to people is never my strong suit. I didn’t really make any friends in my previous school, which I was fine with. They were all nice to me at least. Shujin Academy is a different beast to handle.

Doing some research my spare time, the school recently received a bad reputation. Most of them are just rumors such as Head Principal Kobayakawa does shady business acts, Olympic gold medalist Suguru Kamoshida abuses students, and the usual students partaking in drugs.

Not only was I transferred to Shujin for academic reasons, I was actually given an assignment from the higher ups from my uncle’s detective agency. It’s in regards to the rumor of Suguru Kamoshida abusing his students. I’m to seek out info if the rumors are true or not. The school admin doesn’t know I’m a detective in training, even though my uncle is my guardian of his business. This isn’t my first assignment of stalking and eavesdropping on conversations for information. I just have to be subtle and incognito as best as I can.

Something else that caught my attention was that there was transfer student with a criminal record moving in the same day as me. That’s going to be interesting if we end up in the same class. I didn’t really research the student in depth about the crime he committed as I was focused on something else.

The Velvet Room.

It’s been a month and a half since I had that dream of being locked in a prison cell with Kaede locked up on the opposite side. Igor… and his assistants Justine and Caroline. What did it all mean? He said that there was a ruin approaching? And the Velvet Room exists in dreams and reality, I think? It was all hard to take in.

Kaede actually brought it up the day after she awakened to her Persona. She told me she had a dream where she was locked in a prison cell and there was a little girl dressed in a warden attire guarding her cell. She saw me and we listened to the old man, Igor. It matched my dream to a tee.

Except I don’t have a Persona.

Rantaro and Kaede continued their expedition of Mementos, but they didn’t get very far as there was a sealed wall in one of the floors. That’s the furthest we’ve ever gone; we aren’t really sure how to get passed it. There wasn’t anything resembling a switch or lever to take down the wall. We never did find Morgana in our trips down there.

I’ve tagged along even though I don’t wield a Persona. My curiosity about this alternate dimension is very high and I just figured an extra help would be nice for Kaede and Rantaro. The best I can do is shoot down Shadows with a model of a golden revolver. I bought the model revolver from a shop in Shibuya in the back alley. Kaede bought herself a gold model pistol.

Rantaro gave a run down on how replica guns can shoot real bullets in the Metaverse, something Morgana told him about before its disappearance. If we think it’s real a gun, it shoots real bullets. Somehow our cognition plays a part in the Metaverse allowing this to happen.

Not only that, but Kaede was able to… recruit the Shadows when we were able to knock them down in Mementos. She’s able to hold multiple Personas and switch between them in combat. Neither she or Rantaro know how she’s able to hold a handful of them.

She… really is amazing.

I sighed as the monorail carried me to my new school. Looking around, I see people minding their own business: reading a book, looking at their phone, listening to music, and even sleeping. I see a student wearing the same Shujin Academy uniform as me. He has curly black hair, wears glasses, and a white turtle neck. Could he be the other transfer student with a criminal record? No, he’s probably a regular student. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

_‘Ladies and gentleman, thank you for riding with us today. We will be arriving at Shibuya shortly. This is the last stop for this line. Please transfer here for all subway lines. The doors to your left will open.’_

My phone vibrated suddenly. I fish it out to see Kaede had sent me a message.

 **Kaede:** Have fun in Shujin Shuichi! I know you can do it!

I smiled at her encouraging text. Ever since we’ve met in Mementos, I’ve become friends and gotten close to her, along with Rantaro. Kaede’s encouraged me and lifted my spirits every time I feel down.

 **Shuichi:** Thanks Kaede. Have a good day.

I pocketed my phone and got ready to leave as the train pulled into the station.

* * *

I followed the GPS on my phone to where the academy is. I stopped and tried to figure out where to go from here. Okay so I have to take the Ginza line, and that should just be…

Huh?

The… MetaNav popped up in front of the screen suddenly. It caught me off guard when the icon enlarged itself on to the screen. “What the…?” Furrowing my brows I tapped on it, but it wasn’t doing anything. I held down the power button of the phone but it wouldn’t turn off.

It took a second for me to realize that everything had gone… quiet. Unnaturally quiet. I looked up in front of me to see two school girls... frozen. As in they stopped mid walk and mid conversation. Looking around everyone else was frozen; as if time itself stopped. I… started to feel anxious. What’s happening? What’s happened?

Something caught the corner of my eye and I look to the side of me to see that… there was a giant blue flame in front of the entryway to the underground. “Huh?!” No one was close to the entryway at least but what if it starts spreading? The blue flame suddenly started taking shape; a humanoid shape. Suddenly, it formed wings. Could it be… a Shadow? Did it escape Mementos to this world?!

I noticed that it’s ‘eyes’ opened up: one was purple and one was gold. What I wasn’t prepared to see was… myself when the flames lifted up from the face area.

As I blinked a few times trying to register what I saw, time moved forward again. The sound of people chatting, ads playing on the big screen played, and vehicles running filled the open air. What did I see just now? Looking back at my phone, the MetaNav wasn’t in front of my GPS anymore. Going back to the home screen, the creepy red and black icon was still there, at least its back in its original size.

Did I imagine all of that?

Shaking my head to get myself together, I brought up the GPS again as I didn’t want to be late on my first day. Okay, so the Ginza line. I have to go to… where the blue flame was. Convincing myself that I was just lacking sleep and I just daydreamed what I saw, I jogged to the next underground subway.

* * *

_‘Aoyama-Itchome. This is Aoyama Itchome.’_

I stepped out of the train and sighed inwardly. It took some time but I finally made it. After making it out of the underground, there was rain drizzling down. Thank goodness I packed an umbrella. Opening it up, I continued my trek to my new school life.

Other Shujin students ran past me, getting to the building as fast as they can so they don’t get drenched. I noticed the black haired student with glasses from earlier standing in a little alcove of the building. Shifting my hat lower to cover my eyes, I continued walking.

Oh that’s right; I can’t wear hats in the school now…

In my previous school, the students were allowed to wear hats. I use my hat as a crux to avoid meeting eye contact too much. Just then, a memory resurfaced.

**[Flashback]**

Kaede and I were in a café nearby after going through Mementos again with Rantaro to see if the wall had opened up. No such luck unfortunately.

“Hey Shuichi…” I look up to her. “Why do you always… say things like ‘You’re better than me.’?”

“…What?” I blinked at her question.

She smiled softly. “I guess it’s good that we have some time left before we head home, because I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“Talk to me…?”

She nods. “It’s probably none of my business, but ever since we met you… constantly put yourself down. You always praise me a lot, even Rantaro. I think you should be more confident. Especially since you’re a detective.”

I look down at the table. “No, really, I… shouldn’t be a detective. I’m not… even a real detective.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I lean back on the chair. “My uncle runs a detective business… I would sometimes help out, as an apprentice. It was usually just… cheating couples… background checks…” I shrugged. “But one day, I came across a murder case, completely by chance… I solved it before the police did.”

“That’s amazing! Most people can’t do that.” She smiles again at me.

I slowly breathed out. “… I wonder.”

“Hm?” She tilts her head at me.

“I wonder if, ah… it was really a good thing I solved that case.” I looked somewhere out the window. “The look on his face when we caught him… I can still see it, even now. He stared at me… like he hated me more than anything else in the world.” I lowered my gaze. “Later, I heard that… he murdered the victim to get revenge for his family. The victim was abusive… They drove the culprit’s relative to suicide. People told me… the culprit was right to do what he did. The victim deserved it. But I led the police right to him… Of course he hated me…”

“It’s not like you took sides… You uncovered the truth- that’s what detectives do, right?”

I turn my head back to her, still looking at the table. “Yeah… I uncovered the truth. Which makes it my fault. And I’m still suffering the consequences. Ever since that one… stupid case… I’ve been so afraid of uncovering the truth.” I shuddered. “…I’ll never forget those eyes. The hatred… The way they… stared into me…” I look back to her now. “Ah, anyway… that’s why I have trouble looking people in the eyes sometimes…”

She nods again as I adjust my hat. “…I’m not a real detective, Kaede. What kind of stupid detective is afraid of finding the truth? I’m not like the detective prince Akechi Goro.”

My hands trembled on the table. Just then, she placed her hand on top of mine. “Kaede…?”

“I wish there was a piano here. I would play you a song to cheer you up!” She looks up thinking. “Hmm… a pretty song to play for you…” Her face lights up instantly. “Oh! Like “Claire de Lune” by Debussy! It’s a soothing song that calms your heart, like the moon’s reflection on water…”

I didn’t say anything. I’ve never really taken the time to listen to classical music. I’ve noticed that her hands were shaking too.

“You’ve noticed, huh? Yeah… I’m shaking, too. But… I’d be a mess if you weren’t here. I wouldn’t be able to do anything… I would’ve been so lost…” I look back up to her and she smiles. “I’m glad you’re here with me, Shuichi. With you by my side, I feel like I can stand up to anything now. You give me the courage I need to explore Mementos.” She gently tightens her grip on my hand. “So, please… be more confident. I believe in you, so you should definitely believe in yourself!”

Her words… felt light. So sincere and… strong. “…Okay, I’ll try. I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try…”

“Yup, _that’s_ a promise.” She let go of my hand, making me miss the warmth a bit. “Also, I think you would look way cooler if you didn’t wear that hat.”

I feel my face heating up. “Wh-What are you talking about?”

“What? I’m serious here.” She giggles. “One day, when you’re comfortable enough, I want you to show me what you look like without the hat, okay?”

“Ah, umm…” I scratch the side of my neck.

“Geez… I just wanna see you smile.”

**[End of Flashback]**

Ever since she had that talk with me, I’ve been trying to look at people in the eyes more. It’s still a work in progress though. As the trafficlights turn yellow, a car slows down and stops. I notice a blonde girl in the passenger seat looking… sad. Then I was signalled to cross.

* * *

I walked up the stairs of the academy and entered through the doors. I put away my umbrella and made my way to the Faculty Office. I met my homeroom teacher for 2-C and would introduce myself to the class for first period.

As I trailed behind my homeroom teacher, I heard the whispers of other students.

(“You think that’s him? The student with a criminal record?”)

(“I don’t know. We have two transfer students right? It might not be this guy with the record.”)

(“Why does he wear that hat? It looks weird on him.”)

(“Maybe he has a bald spot?”)

(“You think both transfer students are criminals?”)

(“Maybe. Who knows? Just stay away from both of them.”)

I sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long first day. I waited outside as students entered 2-C and for the teacher to motioned for me to enter.

“Settle down class. Now, I’d like you to meet a transfer student. Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

I gulped. “Ah, I’m Sh-Shuichi Saihara. It’s… nice to meet all of you.” I give a small bow.

The students whispered to one another.

(“Great, we got two delinquents in our class now.”)

(“Maybe he’s not the one with the criminal record.”)

(“Nah, that hat definitely makes him look shady.”)

(“He looks too much of a wimp to commit a crime.”)

(“Looks like he has manners though.”)

(“Don’t talk or look at him, just to be safe.”)

“Okay, Saihara. Your seat will be…” The teacher scans the room until he settles on a vacant chair. “Go ahead and take that seat near the back, in front of the other empty one.” I nod and make my way towards the empty desk. “Also, no hats allowed.”

“Ah, s-sorry…” I quickly take it off and clutch it near my chest. I set my bag down and take my seat, feeling a few stares on me. I think I heard the student in front of me mutter ‘This sucks. Why does he have to sit behind me? Better than Sakamoto I guess.’

(“You see his hair? Why does it stick out like that?”)

(“It looks weird. Kind of like an antenna.”)

(“Maybe it’s a sensor that detects cute girls for him to hit on.”)

(“It might have a mind of its own. Don’t get close to him, it might attack you.”)

(“Actually… he looks kind of cute without the hat.”)

(“Ew, no. He’s not good looking in the slightest.”)

I shrink a little at their whispers about me.

The teacher sighs. “So is Sakamoto the only one not here today?” The students shrug and look to one another. Some of them rolled their eyes at the name of the mentioned student. They must be the one who sits behind me. “Okay, guess we’ll get started then. Who’s on duty today?”

“Everyone please rise.”

This is gonna be a rough school year, I can already feel it.

* * *

Lunch time rolls around (thank God). I spent a few minutes trying to catch on some of the different classes. I quickly read over some of the material we went over for morning classes again, just to make sure I thoroughly understood them. As I left the classroom, the teacher called for me.

“Saihara-kun. A word with you real quick.”

I turned back and meekly look back at them. “Y-Yes?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard that there was also another transfer student here and they have a criminal record. Since you’re the first one to arrive between you two, you’ve been the talk amongst your peers and assumptions were made that you’re the delinquent.” I nod back. “I’d advise you stay away from that other transfer student if you want to be successful here. I heard he’s late on his first day, unlike you. Oh and speaking of delinquents, I’d advise you to not get involved with Sakamoto either. He’s the one who sits on the empty desk behind you. That’s all I wanted to tell you.”

“Y-Yes, okay.” The teacher turned back and I made my way down to the school store. As I walked, I thought about what those two students the teacher talked about. Sakamoto, huh? I wonder how much of a troublemaker they are. And the other transfer student… I’ll have to do some research on them later if I can.

As I made it to the first floor, I see the counselor from the Faculty Office leading a student with short spiky blonde hair upstairs. That student didn’t look too happy.

(“There goes Sakamoto again.”)

(“Coming in late during lunchtime? He’s really trying to get himself expelled.”)

(“How far the mighty track star has fallen.”)

So that’s him, huh? I’m sure there’s more to him than what the students and teachers say about him. It’d be a surprise if I somehow become friends with him.

I made my way over to the school store and bought myself melon bread. My phone vibrated suddenly and I brought it out. Stepping to the side I see the MetaNav is illuminated again. What’s going on with it? Is it malfunctioning?

Someone else comes through the front doors. It was Suguru Kamoshida, my target for getting information of him. He doesn’t notice me as he walks the other way. As he walked away, the MetaNav started to die down on its signal. I hummed to myself. Could Kamoshida have something to do with the MetaNav? If so, then how?

(“Look! It’s the other transfer student.”)

I raise my eyes from my phone to the front doors again. It’s the student I saw earlier today. He’s taking in his surroundings as the students nearby whisper about him.

(“You think he’s hiding a weapon in his bag?”)

(“He’s pretty tall. He probably uses it to his advantage to intimidate his victims.”)

(“Did you hear? Apparently, he was with Sakamoto just now.”)

(“Two rotten peas in a pod, I say.”)

(“Why did they allow him here?”)

(“This school is so fucked.”)

After the other transfer student spoke with an admin, he went up the stairs. Most likely to the Faculty Office as well. I felt the stares of the other students on me now so I headed back up to my classroom.

I sat back down and started munching on my melon bread. I brought out my textbook again to review some of the material we discussed. I felt my phone vibrate again and fished it out.

**Kaede:** How’s your first day going, Shuichi?

 **Shuichi:** Interesting, is the best word I could describe it.

 **Kaede:** How so?

 **Shuichi:** Aside from me, there’s also another transfer student. This guy has a criminal record from what the teachers and students say.

 **Shuichi:** Some of the other students think I have a criminal record as well or they mix me up with the other.

 **Shuichi:** Not only that, but I’m in a class with a known troublemaker. I haven’t spoken to either of them yet since they came in really late.

 **Kaede:** Wow. Yeah that is pretty interesting.

 **Kaede:** Oh shoot. Sorry I gotta go. I’ll text you again in a bit.

 **Shuichi:** No worries.

I’m glad Kaede keeps in touch with me. I’ve never really had someone like that before. Suddenly, heavy footsteps came stomping towards me. It was Sakamoto, the supposed delinquent. He had a scowl on his face and he was grumbling something under his breath. He didn’t look at me as he walked past and sat down on his seat, releasing a heavy sigh. The remaining students that stayed to eat in class eyed him and I (mostly him). Some shook their heads and whispered to one another again.

Deciding to take a chance, I slightly turned my head to spare a glance behind me. His face was down on his desk and his hands covered his head. Seeing him like that, I… feel pity for him. Though that may change if I ever find out whatever he did to be justifiable for everyone to turn against him.

One of the students whispered loud enough for Sakamoto to hear and he turned his head to where his eye peaked out, and he glared at them. The students turned away and continued minding their own businesses. He faced his desk again, muttering something under his breath.

The bell rang, signaling for afternoon classes to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just guessed the class number Ryuji is in since they never specified which class he was in. I also figured that Ryuji should get a better desk mate since Ann gets Akira.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Leave a kudos and comment if you did.
> 
> Will update again soon!


	5. Catching Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay new chapter is here! And it's a long chapter too! Probably the longest chapter I've ever written, ever.
> 
> POVs will be switching constantly in this chapter and in the future but I'll make sure to indicate who's lines you're reading.

**[Ryuji POV]**

(“I wish they’d just expel him. He’s nothing but trouble.”)

(“Yeah. Sakamoto is a lost cause.”)

I turned my head to glare at whoever the hell said that. At least a handful of people flinched and looked away. “Bunch’a cowards.” I said lowly and turned my head back down.

Back to what I was thinkin’, what the eff did I just witness with Akira? An effin’ castle and Kamoshitty ruled it. Akira awakened some giant beast called Persona. Some of the volleyball members were locked up in cells. Then a talkin’ cat. Did I seriously just dream all o’that? But… the pain I felt from those guards was real.

The bell rang as lunch ended. I am so not in the mood for lectures now. There’s no way I’m gonna be able to focus on what the teachers are sayin’ when I’m too focused on that damn castle. I sat back up and sighed. I gotta talk to Akira after school about that whole… whatever we went through. The rooftop is probably good to meet up with him; no one goes there after school.

Social studies is a drag, especially since Mr. ‘Stick in the mud’ Ushimaru teaches it. I swear, other than Kamoshida, he’s out to get me. I’m just half listenin’ to what the dude is sayin’ while I’m still thinkin’ about the whole castle thing.

“You, new kid.”

Huh? New kid? Akira ain’t in my class.

“Ah, yes?” Oh shit… I didn’t even realize there was someone sittin’ in front of me till now. Who the hell is this? I didn’t know we got two transfers.

“Tell me what the Devil’s Dictionary defined as the chief factor in the progress of the human race.” The eff is that supposed to mean? Thank God he didn’t pick me.

“Oh… it’s villains.”

Ushimaru nods. “Correct. ‘Malefactors’ to be specific.”

The new kid scratches his head in a shy way as the others whisper how impressed they are. Huh. Lookin’ at him from behind he’s pretty lanky. Short dark moppy hair kind of like Akira’s but its lighter in color and isn’t curly. And… he’s got a strand of hair stickin’ out in front of me. The hell is up with that? Did he forget to comb it or somethin’?

Ah whatever. It don’t matter, I just need to talk to Akira later.

* * *

**[Shuichi POV]**

The bell rang as classes are finally over. As I flipped my textbook closed, the chair behind me skidded across the floor jarringly. Sakamoto walked past me and was out the room immediately. I guess Mondays aren’t his favorite. Walking out of the classroom, I felt dizzy all of the sudden.

“Guh…”

I clutched my head and… did the hallway change for a brief second? What… was that? Everyone in the hallway disappeared and… there was a red carpet across the hall. Am I just tired? Shaking my head I headed downstairs to the main floor. I reached the main lobby and felt dizzy again. Deciding to lean back on the wall for a second, my vision changed again. I saw… a larger lobby with a grand staircase. Chandeliers hanged above me and a giant portrait of someone.

I blinked a few times and everything changed back to the school lobby. Something’s not right here, I thought. Still feeling a bit dizzy, I slowly and methodically walked out of the school building. Careful to not fall down the stairs, I headed into a little alleyway to try and get myself together for a second. The dizziness wasn’t going away and I crouched down so that I wouldn’t fall over and hurt myself. I can feel my phone vibrating again but I was too busy trying to stabilize myself.

Am I sick? I can’t be. I was doing fine the whole day until this happened. Was it the melon bread I ate? But if it was food poisoning then I should be having an upset stomach. I carefully opened my eyes, not realizing I squeezed them shut. The dizziness started fading away at least.

“What was that just now?” I said to myself as I slowly got up. Thinking I was okay now, I headed out of the little alleyway to head home. But something made me stop in my tracks.

“Wah!?” I couldn’t help yelping out. What replaced Shujin Academy was now a castle. It came with a drawbridge, flags, banners, everything you imagine a castle should have. “Wh-What is this?!” This castle was not here a few minutes ago. I rubbed my eyes but they weren’t deceiving me; this really is a castle in front of me. I tried pinching myself but the pain told me it was real.

Against my better judgement I walked towards the building to investigate. I walked up the drawbridge and pushed through the giant doors. I was greeted with that same grand lobby I saw when I was feeling dizzy. The staircase, the chandeliers, the red carpet, and the giant portrait ahead of me were all familiar.

“What… is this place?”

“Hey! Trespasser!”

I whip my head to the left to see someone (or something) in a giant suit of armor, holding a sword and shield. It had a stoic mask on its face as well. “H-Huh?! T-Trespasser?”

“You must be the one who locked up King Kamoshida in the prison cell!”

“What? K-King Kamoshida?”

“You will pay for your treachery!” The suit of armor raised its sword.

“Gwaaahh!!!” I jumped out of the way as it brought the sword down, making a clanging sound.

“You won’t escape this time! I’ll capture you myself and I’ll be rewarded handsomely by the king!” The suit of armor disintegrated and reformed into four familiar pixie monsters.

“Sh-Shadows?!” What are Shadows doing here?! Before I could get away, I was already trapped within their circle. “C-Crap!”

The pixies giggled evilly. One swooped in and knocked me back down, landing on my front. I tried to get up but one pixie dropped down on my back with force, pinning me down again.

“Grk!” Two pixies in front of me started charging a familiar electric attack. “N-No…” I said as I tried to get up again. The next thing I knew I flew across the lobby, static enveloping my body. It hurts. Everything hurts. I weakly open my eyes; everything was blurry for a moment. My vision refocused in time to see the pixies floating towards me with smirks across their faces.

Is this… the end for me? Am I… gonna die here? It’s… to be expected… especially someone… as weak and cowardly… as me. My eyes were closing, vision getting blurry again, consciousness fading away. A vision of Kaede smiling at me was the last thing I saw. I don’t know why she even bothered to stay with me through all of this. She… really is better than me, stronger than me.

“I’m sorry… Kaede…”

...

...

...

_How long are you going to keep doubting yourself?_

My eyes shot wide open.

* * *

**[Kaede POV]**

I unlocked the door to my apartment and kicked off my shoes. Ibuki really screamed out her vocals today. Heavy metal isn’t for me but I appreciate her passion for it. I think I got to know her better as well. At least the ringing in my ears is gone.

I headed to my room to change out of my uniform, getting into more comfortable clothing. What do I want for dinner? I still have some takeout sushi from yesterday but I think I wanna save those for my lunch tomorrow. Maybe I can get a bit fancy with some tonkotsu flavored ramen. Yeah, that sounds good! I’ll fry up an egg and some Spam with it.

Heading into the kitchen, I started boiling some water in a pot. As I waited, I took out my phone and checked my messages. Hmm, Shuichi hasn’t replied back yet. He hasn’t even looked at the messages Rantaro and I sent. We made a group chat between us three so that we can see if we are down to explore Mementos again, to see if that wall has opened up. Rantaro and I agreed to check it out tomorrow since it’s been a weeks since we went down there. I started texting Rantaro in a separate conversation and it didn’t take long for him to reply back.

**Kaede:** Hey Rantaro. Have you heard from Shuichi today? He hasn’t replied back and I’m a little worried about him.

 **Kaede:** He usually replies back quickly.

 **Rantaro:** No I haven’t. He’s probably busy. After all, he does help out in a detective agency.

 **Rantaro:** I wouldn’t worry too much if we’re not going to Mementos tomorrow if he doesn’t reply back in time. I doubt that wall hasn’t gone down yet.

 **Kaede:** You’re probably right.

 **Rantaro:** How’s your nails? Need a touch up? :P

 **Kaede:** No they’re okay haha

 **Rantaro:** I gotta go. A friend needs me to try on a cosplay :(

 **Kaede:** Send me pictures!

 **Rantaro:** No promises.

I giggled and put away my phone. It’ll take a few minutes for the water to come to a boil so maybe finishing up homework will be a good idea.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Night time finally rolls around and I’ve finished everything I needed to do. Tomorrow’s gonna be another day but at least it won’t be the same boring, stuck in a rut routine like before. I’ve been looking forward to the new days ahead of me ever since I awakened my Persona. It’s still all so surreal: gaining superpowers like this and using it to defeat monsters in a different dimension.

Well, these monsters seem to have just forgotten their true selves. They’re different Personas I can recruit, surprisingly. Pixie, Mandrake, Bicorn, Jack-o’-Lantern, and I can’t forget Echo, my main Persona who saved me and my friends. What was it that I was called by Igor again?

The… Wild Card, I think?

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone vibrating on my desk. I reach for it and see that Shuichi finally messaged back.

**Shuichi:** Hey guys. Sorry for the late reply. A lot of things happened on my end.

 **Kaede:** You doing okay Shuichi?

 **Shuichi:** Yes. For the most part, anyway.

 **Rantaro:** What do you mean by that? Something _did_ happen?

 **Kaede:** You’re still awake Rantaro?

 **Rantaro:** Who sleeps at 10PM? :P

 **Kaede:** All three of us since we have school. Technically, we should have been asleep one or two hours ago.

 **Rantaro:** You got me there. Anyway, did something happen in the detective agency, Shuichi?

 **Kaede:** Are you home now Shuichi?

 **Shuichi:** Yeah I’m in my bedroom. And no, I didn’t go to the agency today.

 **Kaede:** Something happened in your new school today then?

 **Shuichi:** You could say that.

 **Rantaro:** Did you get bullied? :O

 **Shuichi:** Um… kind of?

 **Rantaro:** Kind of?

 **Kaede:** Jeez, you’re normally not this vague Shuichi. Just spit it out.

 **Shuichi:** Well, it’s kind of hard to explain.

 **Rantaro:** I’m not sleeping yet so I’m all ears.

 **Rantaro:** Or eyes, rather.

 **Kaede:** Yeah, I might as well stay up a bit. Go ahead Shuichi.

 **Shuichi:** Okay. Uhhh I guess I’ll start with…

It took a few seconds for Shuichi to fully type out what he wanted to say. I imagine he’s backspacing and retyping his words trying to make it make sense.

**Shuichi:** I awakened my Persona.

My eyes widened in shock at what I read. My fingers moved on instinct.

 **Kaede:** WHAT???

 **Rantaro:** Oh that’s awesome.

 **Kaede:** Wait, how though?! Did you go to Mementos without us?

 **Shuichi:** Um… no.

 **Kaede:** Huh?!

 **Shuichi:** It’s really hard to explain this over text.

 **Shuichi:** I was wondering if we could meet up tomorrow at Shujin Academy. That way I can explain it to you guys better.

 **Rantaro:** I’m okay with that.

 **Kaede:** I guess that’s okay.

 **Shuichi:** Okay. It’s in Aoyama-Itchome. I’ll send you guys the details on how to get there.

Once Shuichi sent us the directions, we said our goodbyes and we’d pick it up tomorrow after school. I laid in bed staring at my dark ceiling, unable to sleep. How did Shuichi get his Persona? I’m really happy for him, no doubt. I’m just wondering what the heck happened to him today. When my mind couldn’t think of the answers, I slowly drifted to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I can feel myself stirring awake. The bed was uncomfortably hard too. My eyes fluttered open; the familiar color of blue and chains hanging above me made me sit up. My clothes were different from what I slept in; it was the same prison attire I wore that one time. That means…

“You’ve awakened, Inmate.”

A calm and familiar voice made me turn to see a little girl in blue prison warden attire, outside of the prison cell I occupied.

“You’re… Justine?” I said as I walked as close to her as I can get with bars separating me from her.

She didn’t say anything as she looked up at me with one golden eye. Justine (I think?) turned back and I followed her gaze. Her other twin, Caroline (I think? Or is that Justine?), stood in front of the opposite jail cell.

“You slept in, Inmate!” She said in a strict voice. I can see some movement from the cell across from me. If I remember correctly, Shuichi was in that cell so… he and I are experiencing the Velvet Room again.

A loud ‘Clang’ sound interrupted my thoughts and a sound of surprise from inside the cell was yelped out.

“Chop chop! No time to waste!” The girl with the baton said.

In a few seconds, Shuichi emerged from the darkness of his cell, prison garb and all. “Shuichi!”

“Ah, Kaede!”

“This is no time for idle chit chat!” The girl with hair buns said. Pretty sure that’s Caroline then. The strict attitude really sticks out.

“Our master wishes to speak with you. It’s for your own sake that you take his words to heart.” Justine said.

I turned my attention to the old man with the long nose. Igor, if I remember correctly. He chuckles, keeping that manic grin of his. “First off, let us celebrate our reunion. It has been a while since we saw each other.” His deep voice reverberated.

“Um… about a month and a half, I think.” Shuichi said as he fiddled with his prison cap.

Igor chuckled deeply again. “Indeed.” He takes a moment and looks between us. “Hm, you both have awakened to your powers- and special ones at that. How interesting.” He gestures to me. “The early bloomer…” he gestures to Shuichi now. “… and the late bloomer.” He nods to himself. “Regardless, your training can now begin as well.”

“Our… powers…” I said.

“What do you mean by ‘training’?” Shuichi asked.

He waves his hand vaguely. “You needn’t worry for the time being. It will all make sense as time passes. Both of you will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to.”

I looked over to Shuichi and he looks back to me. I give him a small smile and nod, he does the same. “Um, I’m still a bit confused about this whole… ‘Persona’ thing. Even if I’ve had a month or so after awakening to it.” I said as I turned back to Igor.

“Personas are, in other words, a ‘mask’. An armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. Do you understand?” He gestures to me.

“I… think I kind of get it. It’s like… putting up a front when you meet someone new, probably.” I scratch my face with uncertainty.

Igor chuckles. “I have high expectations for both of you.”

“Expectations?” Shuichi chimes in.

“You both are required to hone your strength.” Justine said as she adjusts the clipboard on her hand. “It’s not because we are forcing you, but because this is your fate. Neglect it and you will die.” She said the last part without hesitation.

“D-Die?!” I looked at her in surprise.

“Shush!” Caroline smacks Shuichi’s cell with her baton.

“Wah!” Shuichi backed up a bit.

“Our master is not done speaking.” Caroline leers at me. I gulped. I didn’t think little kids could be so scary.

“By the by… have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator?” Igor continues.

“Metaverse… Navigator? Do you mean… that black and red app on our phones that has an eye on it?” Shuichi inquired.

Igor nods. “Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces.”

“Palaces?” I raised a brow at that. What did he mean by that? Palaces as in, Taj Mahal or something?

“It is a gift from me for you to use, to hone your skills as gifted juveniles.” Juveniles? But we didn’t commit any crimes.

“You both should be grateful for the gift our master gave you. It’s in your best interest to take care of it, Inmates!” Caroline said.

“Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. Such as your other companion.”

Other companion? Does he mean Rantaro?

“Hone your talents, as you will be assisting someone else who visits this place.” He chuckles. Someone else? Does Rantaro know of this place too? But if he does, shouldn’t he be here with us?

“Tell me, Wild Cards. What are your thoughts? Have you become accustomed to this place?” Igor said.

“Um, well, this is just the second time I’ve been here. I’m not too sure yet.”

“Y-Yeah, I feel the same way.” Shuichi nods.

He chuckles again. “You are unsure, but I sense your determined spirit radiating from both of you. Do not worry; you will visit the Velvet Room more often when I call for you _and_ of your own accord.”

Of my own accord?

“The goal of your training is to thwart the fated ruin I mentioned before. However, such a feat cannot be done by you two alone.” He gestures to me again. “Over the course of our first meeting, you’ve already established partnership with people who awoke the same power. And just today, you’ve made a new partnership, did you not?”

“Partnership?” What’s he talking about? “Do you mean my classmate Ibuki?” It’s true about what he said. I’ve met a few people just last month and started getting to know them: Seiko the pharmacist, Mikan the nurse in training, Gundham the… weird breeder, Chihiro the cute programmer, Rantaro, and now Ibuki.

“Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for both of your training. You are doing well.” He nods to me and looks to Shuichi. “You on the other hand, will establish your first partnerships very soon so do not worry.” Shuichi just nods. “That being said, I do not advise the formation of superficial relationships.”

“It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will return to help you mature as well.”

“Personas are the strength of heart.” Justine chimes in. “The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain.”

“There are countless people in the city who are talentless weaklings unlike you. The other Inmate could learn something from you two. There are also countless people who possess talent that could be of helpful in your training. Use that grey lump of matter in your heads and get them to your side. We’ll change that into power.” Caroline says.

“Indeed.” Igor nods. “Be prepared to use whatever you come across, or your ambitions will not come to fruition. Again, you will understand in due time… Continue devoting yourselves to your training.”

An alarm startled me from listening to Igor.

“Times up. You go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have. And don’t oversleep next time.” She smacks the prison bars one last time before Shuichi backed away. He looked at me dejectedly and I shrugged, giving him a smile. He backed away in to the darkness of his cell.

“Our master wishes to speak with you for a few more minutes, Inmate.” Justine turns her head to me.

“With me?” I turn back to Igor as Caroline makes a beeline to my cell and stands adjacent to her twin.

“I wish to introduce you to the aid we are providing, Wild Card.” Igor rests his chin on folded hands.

“Aid?”

“I’m sure you know that you are able to handle more than one Persona, due to your potential of wielding the power of the wild card.” I hum and nod to his statement. “That power holds infinite possibilities. We will assist you in nurturing that potential.”

Igor continued to explain to me this ‘aid’ to me where I can fuse new Personas together. But, I wasn’t too thrilled when I learned they had to go through an execution for them to be fused. It… hurt to see Mandrake and Bicorn go through that process. I gained a new Persona at least. I asked if Shuichi would be accessed to this aid and Igor will tell him once he’s gained a few more experience in the battlefield.

Once he told me everything he needed to say, I slipped back in to the cold hard bench and felt myself drift back to sleep. Hopefully I don’t have a nightmare of me being in that guillotine.

* * *

**[Shuichi POV]**

It was raining early morning as I walked the remaining way to school. At least it isn’t pouring down hard. The events of last night in the Velvet Room were on my mind as I walked. Kaede and I have to create strong bonds with people to stop the ‘ruin’ from happening. What did it all mean? And he said I’d be creating a bond with someone soon. Who could that be? It’s not like I take time out of my day to try and get to know new people.

Another thing that was stuck in my mind is my awakened Persona.

I thought I was going to die in that place, whatever it was. Then… I heard a voice… telling me to fight back. To stand up for myself. To stop doubting myself.

_“I’m not going to cower in fear anymore. I made a promise with her; that I’d be more confident in myself. I… I’m not dying without fulfilling that promise.” I look up to the winged creature above me and I smiled. “Thank you. You finally knocked some sense into me.” I turn back to the Shadows in front of me._

_“Lend me your strength, Auguste! Eiha!”_

It felt like… I was reborn as a new person. Auguste came to save me; to put me back on my feet. And after I defeated the Shadows, I felt tired and collapsed on my knees. The adrenaline wore off and I could feel the sting of the attacks from those Pixies. But then I felt this soothing energy wash over me, taking away the pain I felt.

_“That was impressive.”_

_I turned to the source of the voice. A few meters away was a small… cat(?) standing upright on two legs with what I presume is their Persona._

_“Wh-What?”_

_“Now’s not the time for questions. C’mon. There will be more Shadows if we stay in the lobby for too long.”_

_Feeling my energy returned, I ran out the castle doors, following the cat to a discreet hiding place nearby._

_“Didn’t think I’d help out another rookie after another.” The cat muttered._

_“Who… are you? ‘What’ are you?” I asked in hushed tones._

_“I am Morgana. And I promise I’m not a Shadow.”_

Morgana. The cat or creature Rantaro was talking about all this time. The one who helped him escape out of Mementos. I’m not really sure if it’s a male or female either but they also described the place I was in: a Palace. The same thing Igor said when he explained the Metanav. It’s how a person’s distorted heart sees themselves.

Taking into consideration what that Shadow said when it attacked me, this Palace belongs to Suguru Kamoshida. Why does he have a Palace? Why does he consider himself a king? Guess it’s time to put my detective skills to work and gather info on what I can.

“Um, excuse me?”

A voice brought me out of my thoughts and turned around. A tall boy wearing Shujin uniform looked down on me. It was the other transfer student.

“Y-Yes? What is it?" I asked.

“Are you…” He looks down for a second. “…Shuichi Saihara?”

“Yes, that’s me.” I nod.

He smiles at that. “Then this is yours. You dropped it and didn’t notice.” He held out what happened to be my school ID card.

“O-Oh!” I take it from his hands and wipe away some of the water that got on it. I give him a small smile. “Thank you, um…”

“Akira Kurusu.” He nods. “Akira is fine.”

“You can call me Shuichi then.” I said as I lifted my cap a bit so he could see me better. He doesn’t seem so bad and he doesn’t look dangerous. I should still be cautious, just in case. Maybe I can get to know him a little bit as we walk to school. “Shall we walk to school?”

He seemed surprised about that for a second. “Are you sure? You’ll be talked about if you’re seen hanging with the transfer student with the criminal record.”

I lightly shake my head. “I’m a new transfer as well. In fact, we both transferred yesterday. I don’t know anyone here yet so, I don’t mind getting to know you if that’s okay. And I’m not one to judge so quickly.”

He blinked at me. Perhaps he didn’t expect that kind of answer. As I waited for him to reply, I took in his facial features: black glasses, black curly mop hair, sharp jawline, grey eyes, and long eyelashes (possibly longer than my own lashes, if not the same). He twirled the bangs on his face before speaking up. “Uh, sure, yeah. That’d be nice.”

Akira started walking ahead and I kept up with his pace. “Last chance to back out Shuichi. I’d hate to taint your reputation.”

I chuckled lightly. “I’m still new here, so I don’t think I’ve even made a reputation for myself.”

He huffed. “I can hear it now: Delinquent Transfer Student Badly Influences Another Transfer Student.”

* * *

**[Ryuji POV]**

“Ugh, this stupid effin’ game…” I muttered to myself as I leaned back on my chair, the words ‘Game Over’ flashing on my phone screen. It was the middle of lunchtime and decided to waste time by playin’ somethin’ on my phone. I just wanted the day to be over already so I could talk to Akira again about yesterday.

There was no way in hell that all of that was a dream. Everything felt too real. What the hell was that castle all about? And that bastard Kamoshida actin’ high and mighty, like some tyrannical emperor. And… those guys in the jail cells. They had a really familiar lookin’ uniform too. Akira’s the only one I can talk to about this. I just really hope he’s willin’ to help me out.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I heard the chair in front of me skid back and the other transfer kid got up from his chair. As he got up, somethin’ fell outta his pocket. He continued walkin’ his way out of the room not noticin’ he dropped somethin’. I reached down and swiped it up. Oh, it’s his student ID card.

Shuichi Saihara. Huh. At least I got a name for ‘im now. Holy shit, how long is that strand of hair stickin’ out on top of his head? His eyelashes are pretty damn long too.

Lookin’ around the room, no one seems to be payin’ any attention to me, not like I really care. It’s probably a good idea to catch up to ‘im and give this back, rather than waitin’ for ‘im to come back. He might need this all of the sudden. I got up and quickly left the room in time to see ‘im headin’ down the stairs.

I ran after ‘im and called out to ‘im as he got to the landin’. “Yo, dude. Wait up.”

“Hm?” He turns to me as I walk down to ‘im.

“Here. You dropped this.” I handed out his student ID.

“Ah, again?” He said quietly to himself. I raised a brow at that but immediately dismissed it.

“You gotta watch where you put that thing. Can’t risk losin’ that here. Who knows who could snatch that up.”

He looks up and gives a small smile. “Thank you, Sakamoto-kun.”

Wow... didn’t expect a ‘thank you’ there. “It’s uh… no worries.” I rub the back of my neck. “Guess you know my name from all the rumors about me, huh?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. They said that I should, uh, stay away from you.”

I huffed. “Figures.” I awkwardly kick at some dirt on the stairs. “You uh, don’t gotta worry ‘bout me. I ain’t gonna do anythin’ to ya. And since you’re my new desk mate (which I doubt you’ll even talk to me) guess I gotta introduce myself. I’m Ryuji Sakamoto, your resident school delinquent. And no need for formalities, just call me Ryuji.”

He hums and nods. “I’m Shuichi Saihara. And Shuichi is just fine.” He tilts his head to the side. “For someone called a school delinquent, it’s interesting that you were nice enough to give this back to me.”

I froze for a second. “Well, you know, it’s just uh… I’m lookin’ out for you since you’re new here and all.” Damn, I feel like I’m babysittin’ the two new kids now.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” He smiles.

“Cool. I’ll uh, see ya back in class then?”

“Yeah, okay.”

I turned and headed back up, not lookin’ back. Man, I didn’t expect him to treat me so… nicely, aside from Akira. Then again, he and I met under unnatural circumstances.

* * *

**[Shuichi POV]**

**Kaede:** Rantaro’s with me on the train. We’ll be there in about 30 minutes.

 **Shuichi:** Okay, see you then.

It was finally after school and I was waiting nearby the academy so that Kaede and Rantaro could see me easily. I have a lot of explaining to do for them. Though I’m still not sure how I entered that Palace. I forgot to ask Morgana how I would be able to get back there. Perhaps the Metanav has something to do with it since I awakened my Persona there.

“… talk about… castle from yesterday.”

My finger froze just as I was about to tap on the Metanav. Castle? Yesterday? I discreetly turn to my right to where I heard that. A few feet away from me was a familiar blonde student. It was Ryuji and… Akira? Due to Ryuji’s slouch, I can barely make out the glasses. What are those two talking about? I took a few inches closer to get a better listen.

“…can’t act like… connected to that bastard Kamoshida… what’s up with that place…”

Connected to Kamoshida… and they mentioned castle. It’s possible I may have misheard them and it’s just a coincidence.

“…only person I can rely on for this…”

Rely on? Why would Ryuji rely on Akira?

“…-should retrace our steps.”

Shoot, they’re walking my way. I lower my cap over my eyes and act nonchalant on my phone. They didn’t seem to have noticed me acting suspicious as they walked past me. Is it possible… they saw the castle as well? Looking back on my phone, it’ll still be a few minutes before Kaede and Rantaro show up. Maybe I can learn some info if I… discreetly follow them. Pocketing my phone, I made slow methodical steps to make sure I have blonde hair on my sights.

I followed the two supposed troublemakers around the area, close to where the station Kaede and Rantaro would come out from. They stopped for a moment looking around as I stood a few meters away from them. They made their way through an back alley and I made sure to keep a safe distance, hiding behind trash cans. They made their way back to Shujin but even I can see that it isn’t a castle. Looks like Ryuji is a little frustrated as he scratches his head. I check back on my phone and the Metanav doesn’t seem to be acting up. Kaede and Rantaro will be here in about 15 minutes now.

The two start walking again after hearing that they’ll try again. I decided to follow them one more time to see if I can learn anything. But the school didn’t change into a castle when I followed those two back. I stayed in the alley way shortcut while the two of them stood in front of the stairs chatting. They don’t seem to notice me but I can hear their conversation a bit better now that most of the students have gone home.

“Hey, that reminds me-didn’t you have a navigation app thingy on, back then?

“Navigation app?”

“I dunno if it was or not, but I heard stuff that sounded like one comin’ from your phone. Y’know, didn’t itsay stuff like ‘returned to the real world’ or something like that?”

“Oh yeah, I remember that.”

Wait… ‘Returned to the real world’… I’ve heard that before. Do they have the Metanav as well?

“What’s this eyeball lookin’ app?”

“Cute logo, right?”

“Uh, I wouldn’t call it that…”

“I was kidding.”

An eyeball app… it, most likely, has to be the Metanav. I continued listening to their conversation until they started up the Metanav.

_‘Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle… Beginning navigation.’_

In just a few seconds, they faded away from my sight.

“Wh-Whoa…” I rushed out of my hiding spot to where they were. Not a single trace of them left behind. I looked around and no one was in sight, other than me, to see them disappear from their spots.

“Shuichi!”

I turn to see Kaede and Rantaro jogging up to me. This is gonna be a long explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to add the sources to Kaede, Rantaro, and Shuichi's Personas so here they are.
> 
> Kaede's Persona Inspiration: https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Echo/echo.html  
> Rantaro's Persona Inspiration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khonsu  
> Shuichi's Persona Inspiration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Auguste_Dupin
> 
> Shuichi's Persona, Auguste, basically almost looks like Arsene but wearing like a beige detective coat and hat. I added giant black wings (because Edgar Allan Poe wrote the The Raven as well, 'quoth the raven nevermore'). He has no mouth and his face and body is half purple and half white. One eye is a light lavender color on the purple half of his face and the other is a gold color eye on the white white half. Auguste also wears white gloves.
> 
> By the end of this project, I'll personally draw out the DRV3 kids in their Metavers outfits, masks, and Personas (Lord help me.)
> 
> This is also Kaede's Metavers outfit. This is from the actual V3 game so this is considered spoilers: https://danganronpa.fandom.com/wiki/Kaede_Akamatsu/Sprite_Gallery?file=Argument_Armament_-_Kaede_Akamatsu_%282.5%29.png#Other%20Assets
> 
> Leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed!


	6. Investigation Start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I switched to a general POV to try and switch things up for this part. This chapter is also very Shuichi-esque so this may be a bit boring, detective investigating stuff and a lot of copy/paste of P5's dialogue.
> 
> Be careful when reading at the end as there's reference to Shiho' attempt at suicide. It's part of the P5 story

**[General POV]**

“You met Morgana?” Rantaro asked.

“Y-Yeah. He healed me up when I awakened to my Persona. I also didn’t mention to him that you’re looking for him, since I was a little disoriented about the whole thing I experienced.” Shuichi said.

Rantaro waved him off with a smile. “No worries. At least it’s doing okay.”

“So… how do we get into the castle or- Palace?” Kaede tilted her head.

“The Metanav should be the way.” Shuichi brought out his phone and activates the Metanav. “Umm… I’ve never really searched up anything on this app before.”

“Well, if Morgana said that this is Suguru Kamoshida’s distorted heart then- try typing in ‘Kamoshida’. Maybe something will pop up.” Rantaro suggested.

“Okay, I’ll try.” He started typing and it seems to have worked. “Oh, I have something.”

_‘Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle… Beginning navigation.’_

“Pervert?” Kaede raised a brow.

Just then, our surroundings started shifting in a red ripple effect. We looked around us, staying on our toes just in case something pops out and attacks us. Everything warped in a sickly dizzying manner, making me close my eyes. I’m sure the other two did it as well. It took a few seconds for us to regain our composure. So when we opened our eyes, there stood the castle Shuichi mentioned.

“Wh-What the?!” Kaede took a step back.

“This is the place, all right. Exactly how I saw it yesterday.” Shuichi nods.

Rantaro turned to him to see that his attire has changed too. He’s got a dark grey coat, pants, cap, and white gloves. White gloves on his hands and a cape to boot. His mask looks really cool too: dark violet frame with a lilac inside on one half and a gold frame with a white inside on the other half. On both sides of his waist are tonfas, his weapons for battle he presumes.

“Looking good there, Shuichi.” He gestures to his attire.

“Oh yeah! You look really good in that Shuichi.” Kaede smiled at him.

“Oh, uh… thank you.” He sheepishly turns away, a pink tint on his face. “Do you guys mind if we investigate the castle?”

“You wanna go back in there? It could be dangerous, Shuichi.” Rantaro raised a brow to him.

“I know. But I want to figure out why Suguru Kamoshida has something like this in the Metavers.”

“But why though? You don’t even know him.” Kaede chimed in.

“It’s… kind of an assignment from the higher ups of the agency they gave me. I have to find out information on him to see if the rumors are true that he’s harassing the students of Shujin.”

Rantaro crosses my arms. “I see. And since we’re here where his distorted heart he sees himself as a king and the school as his castle, there’s a chance he sees the students as slaves or prisoners.”

Shuichi nods. “Exactly. I’ve also overheard some conversations in the hallway that some of the students in the volleyball team have been going through some kind of intense training from him. Some even have wounds and scars after practice, and they don’t look like the kind that could naturally happen if a volleyball struck you in the face.”

“That’s… horrible.” Kaede frowned at the realization of the implication. “To think an Olympic gold medalist would do something like that, just because he’s a teacher.” She pumps her fist. “Okay, I’ll help you Shuichi.”

The other boy nods. “Yeah. This shouldn’t go unnoticed.”

Shuichi smiles at us. “Thank you, both of you.”

“Oh, we should use codenames in this kind of situation!” Kaede brightened up.

“Codenames?” Rantaro turns to her.

“Yeah! On a stakeout like this, we should use codenames. You know, like in the movies. It might be dangerous if we use our real names. They might track us down or something.”

“That’s a good idea Kaede!” Shuichi brightens up at the idea.

“Okay! My codename is… hmm…” She thinks for a second. “Aria.”

“Aria?” The green haired boy raised a brow.

“It’s a music term.” She shrugs.

“I’ll be Scout then.” Rantaro nods. “I like venturing into new and unknown territory.”

“How about you Shuichi?”

“Umm…” He ponders for a moment. “I’m not quite sure.”

“How about ‘Ace’? Like, ‘Ace’ detective?” Rantaro said.

Kaede hums and nods. “I like the sound of that.”

“W-Well I’m still in-training but at least it’s easy to remember. Okay, ‘Ace’ is my codename.”

“Alright. Let’s find away in to the castle.” Kaede said with determination.They headed to the west side to see an open ventilation that leads into the castle. Shuichi deduced that it’s been ripped open recently. His classmates must have gone through here then. They decided to stay as a group as it’d be too dangerous to split up in unknown territory.

To their right, they saw a few guards walking around the front lobby. It would be a death sentence to walk through there, so the trio decided to check out the room across from them and go from there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Morgana took the two Shujin students to the lower level dungeons of the castle. Along the way, Akira has learned a few battle techniques from the cat. They ventured further to find the sounds of people being tortured, or at least to find a prisoner that wore a familiar gym attire Ryuji recognized from yesterday.

Once they found a few of the volleyball students being tortured, Ryuji opted to try and memorize their faces so he could ask them in the real world on what Kamoshida does to them, only after Morgana berated his intelligence that the students were just cognitions of the Palace ruler.

After sneakily avoiding guards, they found themselves back in the grand lobby only to stumble upon Shadow Kamoshida. Morgana and Akira were outnumbered and were taken down, leaving Ryuji to take the verbal abuse from the gym teacher. It hurt Akira’s heart to see Ryuji so defeated.

“Stand up for yourself, Ryuji!”

Akira’s words pierced through to the blonde’s heart, gaining the courage to get back up and rebel against the corrupt king. When he formed a contract within himself, Captain Kidd awakened in him, allowing the blonde to join the battle with Akira and Morgana. A high rank guard transformed into a red knight, proving to be an even match to the three Persona users.

“Dammit… this one’s tough.” Ryuji panted.

The red knight charged for Akira; the latter still trying to catch their breath, unable to dodge the incoming attack in time.

“Look out!” Morgana called out. Akira brought his arms up and braced for impact.

“Akira!” Ryuji ran to try and jump in front of the knight to take the blow.

Just then, a swift Garu came sweeping in in front of the red knight, staggering it’s attack, sending it backwards and toppling over defeated.

“H…Huh? What was that? I didn’t… cast that Garu…” Morgana stared for a moment until Ryuji taunted the king. The trio fled as more backup was called, leaving Kamoshida to laugh and walk back to the way he came from.

At an upper level in the shadows, Scout adjusted his mask, pleased with himself that he was able to stop an incoming attack. Aria and Ace stood by his side and they slowly made their way back to leave as well.

* * *

The next school day was the volleyball rally but that wasn’t until the afternoon. Shuichi sat down on his desk going over the things he typed down on his Notes app after investigating Kamoshida’s Palace. They didn’t find anything in the upper levels so they decided to find a way to the lower levels after school.

During their stakeout, Shuichi was able to coordinate attacks with Rantaro and Kaede, quickly learning the ins and outs of fighting Shadows. He’s also been able to recruit Shadows as well, earning a surprised look from Rantaro. Igor had called for him last night and explained to him the same Persona fusions he showed Kaede. He shuddered at the sight of the execution of the Personas.

Ryuji enters the classroom; back slouched, knees slightly bent, and other classmates giving him a wary stare for a few seconds before resuming what they were doing. The faux blonde furrowed his short brows together, thinking of the events that happened yesterday as he made the short distance to his desk.

Shuichi noticed the bright yellow hair and greeted him in a low voice as he approached closer. “Good morning, Ryuji.”

Ryuji turned to him, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Hm? Ah, mornin’ dude.” He nods and sits down. Ryuji stares at Shuichi’s back for a moment before turning his attention to his phone. No one in school has ever greeted him ever since his fall from stardom. It feels… nice.

That’s right, Ryuji awakened to his Persona yesterday. Shuichi, Kaede, and Rantaro watched it happen from above. Just when Kaede was about to jump down and help, Akira had called out to encourage Ryuji to fight back. Not just that but they learned what Kamoshida had done to the vulgar boy; to his potential scholarship, his joy of being in the track team, and to his leg.

The trio were outraged by Ryuji’s claims, especially Kaede. That gave Shuichi a lead for his assignment at least, but he feels pity for the former track star. He still needs a bit more info since one person’s say isn’t enough. Shuichi thought it’d be best to not mention to the blonde and Akira as a matter of fact, that he was spying on them in the castle.

Nothing eventful happens in the morning until it was time for the volleyball rally. Ryuji sat in-between Akira and Shuichi in the sidelines; the trio unamused of the teachers going against the volleyball team. Shuichi did a double take at one of the female students across from him, thinking he saw the well-known fashionista Enoshima Junko, but it was just a student with similar blonde hair and pigtails. Shuichi sighed and brought out his phone to review his notes again.

The novice detective barely hears Ryuji mumble something about ‘sticking out’, not really motivated to turn to him and ask about. But Akira notices and looks at him quizzically.

Ryuji stretches himself. “Pretty boring. Right?” He looks between the two transfer students: Shuichi, unsure what to say, shrugs and smiles confusedly before going back to his phone while Akira just gives him a ‘Yeah’.

Akira looks to the girl Ryuji muttered about, the same girl that was carpooled by the gym teacher. _‘She’s pretty, that’s for sure.’_ He thought to himself. He then looks at Ryuji who has his eyes closed and rested his head on his hand. _‘…Maybe he’s got a crush on her…’_ His chest tightened at the thought, not letting the expression show on his face. His eyes wandered to the blonde’s toned arms, averting them quickly before he feels his face flushed.

The girls cheered loudly, making the trio look up in time to see a blue haired member of the volleyball team get spiked on in the face by Kamoshida. Shuichi winced at the impact and immediately felt bad for the boy. Gasps and murmurs were echoed in the gymnasium and the student was dragged off to the nurse’s office.

“He’ll pay soon enough…” Ryuji said lowly as he tossed the volleyball back to the court with a strong arm. Akira and Shuichi just barely saw the fire in Ryuji’s eyes from the corner of their own, determined to get vengeance on the Olympic champion.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_‘Attention, attention. All Matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for the day.’_

As Shuichi got his stuff from his locker, he overheard some of the students talking about how Ryuji and Akira have been running around the school building talking to some of the volleyball members. _‘Hm, they might be trying to get info out of them to learn something about Kamoshida.’_ The undercover detective thought. _‘I should be as well but… maybe I can somehow ask them, without raising suspicion, if they know something.’_

He headed down the stairs when he spotted the two delinquents, talking to student who was hurt in the volleyball rally from a few distances away. He moved a little closer, careful to not be caught eavesdropping. Fishing out the phone from his pocket, he acted nonchalant but kept an open ear.

“Kamoshida’s been ‘coaching’ you, huh? You sure it’s not physical abuse?” That was Ryuji’s voice for sure.

“Certainly not!”

“What’re you talkin’ all polite for? Anyways… we saw him spike you today. Right in the face.”

“That was just because I’m not good at the sport…”

“…Still, that doesn’t explain all the other bruises you’ve got.”

“They’re from practice…!”

 _‘He’s certainly acting… a bit defensive.’_ Shuichi thought.

“Is he forcin’ you to keep quiet?”

“That’s…”

“What’s going on here?” Shuichi’s eyes widened slightly at the voice. That was Kamoshida. “Mishima, isn’t time for practice?”

Shuichi couldn’t hear what ‘Mishima’ said. It was too low for him to hear.

“What? Maybe you’re better off quitting then. You’re never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice.”

“Didn’t you hear? He ain’t feelin’ well!” Ryuji said in an annoyed tone.

“Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?” Kamoshida didn’t seem to have paid the blonde any attention.

“…I’ll go.” Mishima said loud enough for Shuichi to hear.

“As for you, any more trouble and you’ll be gone from this school for sure.” He stepped up to the blonde. “Same goes for you.” He leered at Akira.

That made Shuichi furrow his brows together. From the way he’s acting, he definitely seems to be taking advantage of his position and berates the students. It wouldn’t be farfetched at all to piece that he may be hurting the students. Kamoshida walked off after reprimanding the three of them.

“That asshole… he’s gonna pay for this!” Ryuji stomped on the floor.

“…There’s no point. Proving that he’s physically abusing us… is meaningless.” Mishima said in a sullen voice. “Everybody knows… The principal, our parents… They all know, and they all keep quiet about it.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened at that. _Everyone_ knows? And no one does anything about it? Why is this allowed? Principal Kobayakawa isn’t doing anything about it and the parents won’t speak up for their kids? This is… terrible.

“This has gotta be a joke…” Ryuji looked at Mishima in awe at what he said.

Mishima said something low again before running off. Shuichi definitely noticed the way Ryuji flinched at what the blue haired boy said.

“Dammit…” The blonde boy kicked at the floor hopelessly.

“What now, Ryuji?” Akira asked.

“…I’ll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That’s… all I can do.”

Thinking Shuichi has heard enough he walked away to the nearest men’s bathroom. He went inside a stall and type to his other friends.

 **Shuichi:** I was able to get some info about Kamoshida from one of the students talking to one another. Let’s hold off in going to the castle for today.

* * *

The next day, the novice detective continued his eavesdropping on the two delinquents in the afternoon. He lost sight of them at one point as they split off to different sections of the school but later followed them to the rooftop. For a second it looked like… something moved inside Akira’s bag?

He followed the duo discreetly, thankful that no one has seemed to notice him following either the two of them around for the last two or three days. He opened the door to the rooftop by just a hair and he can hear Ryuji and Akira talking. A third voice joins in; a rather familiar high pitched voice. Was that Morgana?

“A Palace is a manifestation of a person’s distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…”

“Then his desires would go too.” That was Akira.

“Precisely! You pick things up fast!” It sounds like Morgana. If it is, then how did they escape the castle back to the real world?

“For real!? H-He’s gonna turn good!?” Ryuji’s voiced cracked. “But… is that really gettin’ back at him.”

“Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he’ll confess them himself.”

“You for real!? That’s possible!?”

“And since the Palace will no longer exist, he’ll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won’t even be a trace of our involvement.”

This was all interesting information to Shuichi. He’ll be sure to relay the information to Kaede and Rantaro. Though he wonders if they really should get involved in this. This wasn’t their battle to fight at all.

“So? How do we get rid of the Palace?” Ryuji asked with eager in his voice.

“By stealing the treasure held within.”

“Stealing…?”

“I’ll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It’s my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you wanna help me out, I’ll gladly teach you. What’s your call?”

“Our luck’s runnin’ dry lookin’ for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along…”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Akira sighed.

“Oh, right. There’s one more thing I should tell you. If we erase the Palace, there is no doubt that the person’s distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love- those sorts of things.”

“What’re you getting’ at?”

“If all those yearnings were to vanish, they’d be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they’re not given proper care.” Shuichi’s eyes widened at that. “So…”

“They might die!?” Ryuji said.

“Will you listen to everything I have to say first?”

“Would their death be our fault?”

“Aren’t you determined to enough to face those kinds of risks?”

There was silence for a moment. Even Shuichi was slightly taken aback that the person may die in their cognition. But it made sense to the detective.

“What do you think?”

Akira hummed, weighing the options. “I don’t wanna kill the guy…”

“For real? You think so?”

“Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It’s not like anyone will ever find out.”

“That’s not the point! If we just go around secretly doin’ whatever we want, we’d be no better than that effin’ Kamoshida.”

Morgana sighed. “Isn’t this your only option?” _‘Man, Rantaro and that other rookie would probably be up to the task, if I asked them.’_ They thought. “Look… I’ll come back later. Make sure you’ve made your decision by then.”

There was silence again. Morgana must have slipped off somewhere.

“Well… this kinda sucks.” Akira said.

“Man, we’re gettin’ all worked up for nothing… Dammit! I’ll try and see if I can figure out another way…”

“Yeah. I’ll try and think of something as well.”

“C’mon, let’s get outta here.”

Shuichi immediately slipped away down the stairs to not get caught and left for the day. Once he got home, he filled his two other Persona users on what he learned about Palaces.

* * *

It was the afternoon of the next day: Kaede was in the music room; empty, playing Yiruma’s Kiss the Rain on the piano. As she played, she mulled over what Shuichi had told her and Rantaro about Palaces. It was all interesting information that made her wonder; how many people out there have Palaces? Surely there was a good amount of corrupt people around the world, not necessarily just adults. Could kids and teenagers have Palaces too?

Could she, Rantaro, and Shuichi have Palaces? Can Persona users have Palaces? But she doesnn’t feel like she’s doing anything out of line. She hoped the boys aren’t either.

She did have a small argument with Shuichi in regards to just going in to change Kamoshida’s heart themselves. That way, he’d stop terrorizing the students of the academy. But Shuichi debated on wanting to wait until he got a bit more information. It also isn’t our fight; he felt that his classmates need to do this for their own closure. Not just that but it’d be dangerous to go in there and possibly accidentally killing the teacher.

And to be honest, Kaede wouldn’t mind that happening. _‘It’d be for the safety of the students at Shujin.’_ She thought. Rantaro agreed with both sides but ultimately, no decision was made. Shuichi ended it saying that he’ll let them know when it’s a good time to take on the castle.

Kaede huffed in slight annoyance and decided to take a break. So much for calming her nerves when playing the piano. She took a bite of her sandwich and felt her phone vibrate. She fished it out to see that Shuichi messaged them in the chat.

 **Shuichi:** Are you guys free later to come and take on a bit more of the castle?

She raised her brow at that. That was… a fast consideration.

 **Kaede:** Yeah, I am.

 **Rantaro:** Same here.

 **Kaede:** Did something happen that made you want to take on the castle later?

 **Shuichi:** Yes, actually.

 **Rantaro:** What is it?

Kaede dropped her sandwich on the pristine floor at what she read next.

**Shuichi:** A student here tried to commit suicide by jumping off the building.

 **Shuichi:** And I think Kamoshida had something to do with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *New World Order starts playing at the end*
> 
> I gave Shuichi tonfas as his weapons since it's close to a police's nightstick. Rantaro has a ball and chain (mace/flail) weapon because it's *redacted due to spoilers* (I'll let you figure it out on your own). And Kaede has war fans as her weapons. Think of a pink fan with sharp ends sticking out on the folds (basically, Kitana's fans from Mortal Kombat). Her Metavers outfit is beautiful and elegant so why not have a weapon that's elegant but deadly?
> 
> Phew, finally able to get this part up. I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to tie in Ryuji and Akira's investigation into one chapter, as I didn't want to spend multiple chapters on the beginning part of P5's story, and I'm glad I thought of it this way.
> 
> Also, this is Shuichi's Metavers outfit: https://twitter.com/utouronpa/status/825287596150435840  
> Credit to @utouronpa on Twitter and Pixiv for this beautiful fan art drawing (not requested by me).


	7. We Got Your Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New chapter is up! I also like to think that time moves faster in the Metaverse than in the real world.

**[Flashback]**

_“Dude! Akira!”_

_“Ah! Ryuji, Shuichi.” Akira skidded to a stop._

_“Hey! What’s goin’ on!? Everyone just started crowdin’ at the courtyard!”_

_Akira’s expression darkened. “A girl jumped from the roof in the courtyard.”_

_“Wh-What!?”_

_“Are you for real!?”_

_“I’m not joking! I saw it and everyone in class did!”_

_“Then we should head to the courtyard too! C’mon, Shuichi!”_

_“Y-Yeah…”_

_Due to a thick crowd hoarding the door to the courtyard, the boys ended going through the practice building as a long way around. Shuichi lost sight of the pair and got separated from them but his attention was immediately grabbed by a female student covered up in a stretcher. Her head was turned away from him but he can see a bruising on her temple. It didn’t sit right with him that the other students were taking pictures and videos of the injured girl._

_The blonde girl with pigtails volunteered to go with the injured girl. She spoke with her for a few seconds and was carried into the ambulance, the other following suit with tears in her eyes. Shuichi had seen a couple of bodies that were damaged while he’s still in-training, and he eventually had gotten used to it. But it was still harrowing for him to see._

_Principal Kobayakawa had instructed the teachers and students to return to the classrooms but the students were still disoriented about the whole situation. Shuichi got his bearings again and realized he had been separated from the two delinquents. He stuck his head out in the sea of students to try and find a familiar bright and loud bleached short blonde hair but to no avail. He suspected they had gone back inside so he scurried through the crowd again to head back inside the building._

_Shuichi walked the halls of the first floor to head back up to his classroom. He’d have some quiet time to think about what had just happened._

_**“THAT SON OF A BITCH!”** _

_A loud voice brought him out of his thoughts to see a flash of blonde hair whiz out of a corner and up the stairs._

_“Ryuji! Wait up!”_

_Akira and Mishima followed close by to catch up to the former track star. Some students in the hallways were taken aback at the speed the trio had. Shuichi had a bad feeling about stirring in his chest so he followed them up as well._

_He reached the second floor and just barely caught glimpse of Mishima’s blue hair entering, what he suspected to be, the PE Faculty Office. The sound of a loud muffled voice came from down the same hallway as well. That must be Ryuji. The few students across the other end of the hall didn’t seem to have noticed. The novice detective hovered outside the door and listened in to the raised voices. He brought up a voice recording app from his phone and gently pressed it against the door._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Kaede:** WHAT?!_

_**Rantaro:** Are they okay, Shuichi!?_

_**Shuichi:** I’m not sure. By the time I got to the scene, she was already in the stretcher with one of her friends volunteering to be with her._

_**Shuichi:** The girl was still conscious for a few seconds as she talked to her friend and… they headed out to the emergency care._

_**Kaede:** I hope she’s okay…_

_**Rantaro:** And you think your PE teacher had a hand in it?_

_**Shuichi:** Yeah. I recorded a conversation he had with my classmates._

_**Shuichi:** I’ll attach the audio file here. Just delete it from the chat when you’re done, just for safety measures._

_**[End of Flashback]** _

Shuichi waited at the top of the stone stairs in front of the school. Kaede had mentioned that the trains were running late so she and Rantaro will be there a few minutes late than they usually arrive. Across from him, he can barely make out Ryuji’s blonde hair in the alleyway across from the school. He also spots the blonde girl with pigtails snooping in on them behind the wall. She must have returned when they were able to stabilize the injured student.

In a blink of an eye, both blondes were gone from his sight.

“That… can’t be good.” He muttered lowly. He sent out a text to his group that they may have to go on a rescue mission in the castle.

 **Kaede:** What do you mean Shuichi?

 **Shuichi:** I think one of the students at Shujin got transported over to the Metaverse because she was too close to Ryuji and Akira, as they were transporting over themselves.

 **Kaede:** Seriously!?

 **Rantaro:** This day just keeps getting worse.

Just then, Shuichi heard a yelp. He looked up to see the blonde girl had returned, a little taken aback and disoriented. She must have seen the castle by the looks of it.

 **Shuichi:** Wait, I think we’re okay. The girl came back out of the Metaverse.

 **Kaede:** Really? That’s good!

 **Rantaro:** Your friends must have seen her and forced her out.

 **Kaede:** Explaining the Metaverse to her is gonna be interesting. Unless they somehow wipe her memory.

He looks back up to the girl with pigtails and see her fiddling with her phone. If he remembers correctly her name is Takamaki, based on the rumors he heard about her. She is supposedly having an affair with Kamoshida, based on what the rumors were going around.

If the girl that was hospitalized is her friend and Kamoshida did, hypothetically as he put it, do something to her, then surely she would want to break ties with him.

Wait… if that’s the case then… is she trying to go with Akira and Ryuji to the castle on purpose?

Shuichi blinks a couple of times and realizes that Takamaki is gone once again. He didn’t see her run off. Dread filled the novice detective, thinking she was able to get back into the Metaverse. But that would mean… she would have access to the Metanav.

 **Shuichi:** Guys, she disappeared again. I think she got back into the Metaverse.

 **Kaede:** Again!?

 **Shuichi:** The Metanav must have appeared on her phone if she experienced the Metaverse for the first time.

 **Rantaro:** We’re almost there Shuichi. We’ll be there in about ten minutes.

 **Kaede:** Don’t go in there by yourself and save her. Wait for us.

But the detective knows that anything can happen in ten minutes.

Back in the castle; Joker, Skull, and Mona were in a safe room to recuperate. Akira had recruited Pixie, Bicorn, and Mandrake to his arsenal of Personas a few battles ago, earning surprised looks and questions from the blonde and not-cat.

“Aren’t there even more Shadows here than before? Just getting’ this far’s been a real pain in my ass!” Skull complained.

“It’s all because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know.” Mona said.

“Not like we had a choice. We were gonna die if we didn’t resist.” Joker said.

“Still… he seems to be awfully on guard…”

“Anyways, how’re we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?”

“Don’t be so hasty. First, we’ll need to secure an infiltration route.”

“A what…?” Skull crosses his arms.

“Basically, a path to the Treasure’s location.” Joker chimed in.

Morgana nods. “But honestly, I think we’ll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice…” Mona’s ears drooped as it thought about Rantaro and the other Persona user he healed up after awakening to their Persona. They never did ask for the name of the boy in a detective outfit as his awakened attire. “Wonder where those two are…” He mumbles.

“Those two…?” Joker tilts his head at that.

Mona shakes its big head. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Ryuji scrunches his brows under his mask. “Aw hell no. You ain’t keepin’ secrets from us. I still don’t fully trust you. You plannin’ on bringing back up and ambush us?”

“Of course not!” Mona sighs. “I’ve actually met two other Persona users: one before meeting you and one after I helped you escape this place the first time.”

Joker’s eyes widened under his mask. “I knew it! You’re totally setting us up!” Skull stomped his foot.”

“Calm down. Let’s hear what Mona has to say.” Joker puts a hand on the blonde’s shoulder to calm him down. “Who are these two other Persona users?”

Just as Mona was about to talk, they heard voices outside of the room.

‘Still, why was the princess in such an odd place…?’

“Princess…?” Skull mutters. Mona quietly gets closer to the door and listens in on the voices.

‘I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder…’

‘It doesn’t matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida!’ The footsteps faded away.

“Who’s this princess they’re talkin’ about…?” Skull relaxes.

Thinking this is the perfect opportunity to avoid Joker’s question, Mona pushes the door open. “I should probably look into this!”

“H-Hey!” Skull calls out but the door closes, making him sigh in defeat. “And yet another question goes unanswered…”

“I’m sure we’ll find out eventually.” Joker decides to make small talk while they wait. “They never did answer my question. They’ve met two other Persona users…” He ponders for a moment.

The Wild Card remembers something he heard Igor mention in his visit. That there were two other guests in the Velvet Room. They would aid him in his rehabilitation and to prevent the ruin of the world. But just like him, they must train their powers in wielding Personas as well. Then that means that there were two other Wild Card users somewhere out there.

“Yeah, what’s up with that? Why didn’t it bother to tell us earlier?” Skull scratches his head. “Man, stuff like the castle and the navigation app are mysterious… but Morgana’s got them both beat.”

Joker turns to him, catching what he said. “Remember, code names.” He smirks.

Skull visibly stiffens at that. “Oh! Crap, sorry! What was I again?”

Joker snorts. “You’re Skull.”

“Oh yeah, Skull!”

The door opens and Mona comes back in. “This is bad!”

“What the-? That was fast.” Skull looks at the not-cat.

“Your friend… Lady Ann! She’s been taken by Shadows…!”

“Wait, what? We sent her home earlier.”

“If Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible.”

“Oh no… Don’t tell me it got put on hers just like mine…!? Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself…!”

“We gotta move then.” Akira nods to them both. “I’d rather not find out what they’re gonna do to her if we don’t find her in time.”

“Follow me. I’ll guide you.” Mona took the lead with the Shujin students trailing behind it.

Ace, Scout, and Aria made their way to room that looks like a dining room. There were no Shadows around but they kept their guard up as they walked.

“This place is huge. Who knows where they took her?” Scout said.

“It’d be easier to split up to search for more ground but…” Aria adjusted her elbow length gloves.

“That’d be dangerous.” Ace nods.

Just then, they felt the ground rumble beneath their feet.

“Wh-Whoa!” Aria grabbed Ace’s arm to balance herself. It only took a few seconds for the rumbling to stop.

“What was that just now?” Ace looked around the room.

“I think that was just nearby.” Scout started moving ahead. Aria immediately lets go of Ace’s arm once she realized she’s still holding him.

They reached door at the end of a hallway and they hear a loud threatening voice from it.

_‘How dare you deny King Kamoshida’s love, you selfish lass!? Pay for this insolence with your life!’_

“That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets! Don’t make me laugh with that ‘love’ bullshit!”

Ace furrowed a brow. That voice sounds very similar to Kaede. But… she’s standing right here as Aria. He looks to her and Scout but they don’t seem to have recognized the similar voice. A loud ruckus can be heard from the door now.

“Sounds like a fight is happening in there.” Scout said.

“C’mon, let’s check it out and see if we can help.” Aria takes the lead and Scout right behind her. Ace lingers for a second and thinks that neither those two recognize the eerily familiar voice, and follows suit.

They crack the door open slightly to see Morgana, Ryuji, Akira, and a new Persona user taking on the giant Shadow sitting on a toilet.

“Ew, what is that Shadow?” Aria whispered in disgust.

“Dance, Carmen! Agi!”

A small blast of fire hit the Shadow and was knocked down. Ace recognizes the familiar pigtails on the fighter. “That’s her. She’s the one I saw return to the Metaverse.”

“So she must have awakened her Persona.” Aria nods. Ace definitely hears the similarities in both blonde ladies.

As the piano player and detective watched the battle, Scout heard scurrying footsteps and voices down the hall. There was backup coming. “Guys, there’s Shadows coming down the hall. You two stay and keep watch of them. I’m gonna go distract them so they don’t get here.”

“Wait! That’s dangerous Scout! You might get captured.” Aria whispered harshly.

“I’ll go with him then.” Ace stood up.

“What!? Shui-err… Ace!”

“It’s okay Aria. If Scout gets hurt, I can switch Personas to heal him. You still have Echo with you right?” She nods. “You have a Bless attack that might do well against the Shadow they’re fighting.”

“We have to go Ace. They’re closing in fast.”

“We’ll be back for you Aria. If they those guys finish beating the Shadow before we come back, return back to the real world.”

“B-But…”

“C’mon!” Scout takes Ace’s wrist and pulls him down the hall. Ace gives her a small smile of affirmation. Aria stares back with worry until the two of them catch the attention of the guards and they chase after them, running past the room where the battle was taking place.

“Please be okay…” She whispers a silent prayer and turns back to the battle in the room, periodically looking behind her in case a Shadow sneaks up on her.

A few minutes have passed and the group just finished an all-out-attack on the Shadow. The Shadow looks like it’s at the end of its rope, but the Shujin students are starting to get worn out as well. Mona does its best to heal up the group but even they are starting to feel fatigued.

“Damn… this thing is persistent.” Skull breathes out.

“He’s almost done. Just… a little more.” Joker readies his stance for the Shadow’s attack.

_‘This kind of treachery… is unforgivable! You will suffer for this!’ The Shadow shakily straightens itself._

“Just… shut up and die already!” Ann yells.

This angers the Shadow and whips out a Magaru. Mona resists it just fine and Joker dodges it swiftly. The two blondes are not as fortunate as Ann takes the hit and Skull curses in pain, knocking him down.

“Argh…! Sh-Shit!”

The Shadow laughs as he readies up another Magaru. Joker knows this is gonna hurt his teammates and possibly kill Skull. Aria sees the detriment through the gap in the door readies up her Persona.

“Sing, Echo! Kouha!” She whispers.

From the corner of his eye, Joker thought he saw a familiar blue flame flicker from the door. Just as the Shadow was about to unleash it’s attack, a ball of light explodes in front of him. It staggers and covers it’s eyes at the blinding light. Joker was baffled for a moment and takes the opportunity to finish it off.

“Arsene! Ravage them!” A single Cleave finishes the job. The Shadow falls to the ground, battered and wounded. Aria smiles and breathes a sigh of relief that her interference helped the group.

“Aria!” She turns to see Ace running up to her and Scout at the end of the hall. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. The guys in there are good too. They beat the Shadow.”

“That’s great! We have to go though. While the guards are still distracted searching for us in the upper levels.” Scout motions for them to come over.

With one last look back through the gap, the Shadow laid limp on the ground and she smiles. She gets up and rejoins her group.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_‘To think… there would be a woman… who could stand up to King Kamoshida…’_

Joker fixes up Skull with a Dia from Pixie while Mona uses another Dia on Ann to relieve her of some of her injuries. “Pfft, outside of school, that guy’s nothing but a pathetic loser!” Ann flips back her pigtail.

The Shadow dissipates, leaving Shadow Kamoshida frightened at their newfound power. “Oh shit…!” The Shadow king makes a break for it as Ann collapses to her knees.

“Kh… wait!”

“Why’d you come here, man! And more importantly, how!?”

“Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!?” Mona scowls at him. “Are you alright, Lady Ann!?”

“Lady Ann…? Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk? And… where in the world are we!?”

“J-Just calm down. Everything’s going to be okay; don’t worry.” Mona waves it’s paws frantically.

“How am I supposed to calm down down!?” She uses big Mona’s head as leverage to stand up. Ann notices the red attire she dawns on. “H-Huh…? Why am I dressed like this!? When did I-“ She drops to a knee again, covering her chest. “Ugh, what’s with this!?”

“I mean, at least you look great in that.” Joker chimes in.

“Huh? Wh-What are you talking about!? What the hell are you thinking!?” She furrows her brows at him.

“Well, I’m stumped…” Mona droops it’s ears. “A search party will be coming for us soon. There’s no time to explain. We don’t have a choice. Let’s retreat for now!”

Skull scratches his head in irritation. “We were just getting’ fired up, and you had to go and get in the way- Rgh, fine… Here… gimme your arm. Joker, take the other side.”

They helped Ann up to her feet and rushed out as fast as they could back into the real world. Morgana suggested moving to a safer spot and they headed to the subway station. Ann learned about her Persona awakening and the cognitive world that evening, assertive in wanting to help out the two boys and not-cat to take down their PE teacher. Akira, sensing a strong resolve from her, recruits her into their ranks. Once the three of them exchanged their chat IDs, Ann leaves them.

“That turned out pretty good in the end.” Akira smiles as she leaves

“You know, it’d be better if this group could get together quick from now on…” Ryuji turns to him.

“True. Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things.” Morgana nods.

“A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that.” The faux blonde grins.

“Where would be a good place though?” The raven haired boy adjusts his glasses.

“The school rooftop would work… It seems like nobody goes up there. For the time being, that will make the perfect hideout.”

“Seems like a good place to me.” Ryuji nods.

“I can’t contact you from inside a Palace, so I’ll stay in this world. That being said, I’ll need someone to take care of me.” Morgana places a paw on Akira’s head. “I’m personally nominating you, Akira. You should feel honored.”

He raises a brow. “Really? I’ve never really taken care of a pet before, let alone one that can understand human language.”

“…This’s all you, dude. There’s no way I can at my place.”

Akira chuckles. “Okay, okay. Guess I don’t have much of a choice then.”

“Well, we now have our hide out, so let’s meet there tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Ryuji smiles and raises his hand for a fist bump, which Akira reciprocates without hesitation.

“See ya tomorrow!”

“See ya, Ryuji.” Akira smiles as the other blonde dashes off before his train leaves without him.

“Okay! Let’s go look at my new residence for this world.”

Akira huffs with a smirk. “Oh, you’re gonna love it.” He said with slight sarcasm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nearby them behind a pillar; Shuichi, Kaede, and Rantaro listened in to their whole conversation and nodded to each other.

Back at the LeBlanc café, after Sojiro ushered Akira up to the attic to not disturb a goth looking doctor (and later inquired about her after she left), Morgana was disgusted at the state of the room Akira inhabited.

“What the… what is this place!? Is this some kind of abandoned house!?” Akira shrugs. The Wild Card turns to see Sojiro with a confused look on his face.

“Hey, are you-” He blinks a couple of times as he sees Morgana. “I was wondering why I heard meowing… What did you bring it here for!?”

“Um… it doesn’t have a home.” Akira twirled the bangs in his face.

“Nowhere, huh?” The café owner crosses his arms. “Look, this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go…” Akira looks down, thinking that he’ll have to find a way to sneak Morgana in. Sojiro looks to him and the cat, feeling a bit sympathetic. “Though I guess you might stay on good behaviour if you’ve got a pet to take care of…”

Akira looks back up at him, a little hopeful. “Does that mean… I can keep it?”

Sojiro sighs and nods. “But keep it quiet when we’re open for business. And don’t let it roam downstairs, or I’ll toss it out. Oh, and I’m not gonna take care of it. That’s all on you.”

Satisfied with the terms, Akira smiles and nods. “Got it. Thank you, Sakura-san.” Sojiro leaves the two be.

“Was that the ruler of this place?”

“Yeah. That’s Sojiro Sakura. He’s my guardian while I’m on my probation.”

“He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump. Then again, I suppose to normal I just sound like a meowing cat.”

Akira hears footsteps coming up the stairs to see Sojiro bringing a plate of food and places it down for Morgana. “Seriously… It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice…” He turns to Akira. “Make sure you wash that dish when it’s done eating. Oh and by the way… have you decided on a name for it?”

“I have. I named it Morgana.”

“Morgana? Huh…” Sojiro rubs the back of his neck. “I was hoping I’d get to name it…” Akira detected the slight disappointment in his voice as he heads back down.

“Looks like the chief likes me better than you.”

“I think he likes anything and anyone other than me.” Akira snorts.

“Well to be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida’s cells.” Morgana looks sullen and turns to him.

“Something wrong?” He raises a brow

“… Remember how you guys asked me before about what I am?” Akira nods. “To be honest… I don’t remember anything about my birth. I think the Metaverse’s distortions made me lose both of my memories and my true form.”

“And you think that form is human…?”

“It has to be! I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this? There’s no other possible explanation. There’s no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I’m sure that once they’re purged, I’ll finally be able to get that self back.”

Morgana decides to eat up the food Sojiro left for it. The not-cat realized it never got hungry in the Metaverse either. As Morgana ate, Akira sat next to it in silence and thought about what he saw during that fight in the castle.

What was that attack he saw? Where did that ball of light come from? And what was that blue light peeking through the door? It was the same as a few days ago as well, when Ryuji awakened to his Persona. The Shadow was charging for him, ready to take the brunt of the attack when a Garu came out of nowhere and saved him, taking out the Shadow.

When they escaped he thanked Morgana for saving him, but the not-cat admitted that it wasn’t the one who casted the Garu. Akira was thoroughly confused by that and even is now.

 _“What were those… convenient occurrences?”_ He thought to himself. Without those, they really would have been in trouble or seriously hurt. Was there someone else in the castle… helping them take down Kamoshida? He then remembered the conversation he had earlier in the safe room, about Morgana meeting two other Persona users. _“I’ll definitely ask Morgana about that again.”_

“Let me make myself clear: Your taking care of me won’t be for nothing. It’ll be give and take.” Akira turns to it. “Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools.”

“What kind of infiltration tools?”

“Whoa, I can’t tell you more unless we settle on a deal. In exchange for you keeping me here, I’ll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?”

Akira thought about it for a second. “Does that mean you’ll tell me other things if I ask you about it?”

“Of course.”

The student smiles. “Let’s do this.”

Morgana grins (or at least as best as a cat can). “I like that answer. It’s a deal then.” Akira feels a strong bond forming with Morgana. “Don’t worry, I’ll lecture you about the infiltration tools over time. By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing.”

“It is pretty convenient to have; to be able to switch Personas.”

“The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it’ll be as a trump card.” The cat sits up. “All right, I’m gonna stick with you from today on.”

“Even when I get naked and take a bath?” Akira raised a brow and smirked.

“Wha-!? Of course not!” Akira chuckles. Morgana softens his face and smiles at him. “I expect great things from you. Don’t let me down, okay?”

 _“You’re not the first person who expects a lot out of me…”_ Akira nods. “By the way Morgana, you never did answer my question.”

“Which one?”

“Who’re the two Persona users you met before Ryuji and I?”

The cat freezes. “Oh… I guess I never did answer you, huh?”

“Can I get an answer from you? We did make a deal after all.”

“Right. Okay, so…”

* * *

As Akira walked to school the next day, Morgana suggested stocking up on healing items from somewhere whenever they went into the Metaverse, after hearing a few girls saying they weren’t feeling well.

“Ah, hello Akira.”

Akira turns to see the other transfer student, Shuichi. He smiles at him. “Good morning, Shuichi.”

“Good morning to you too.” He nods, adjusting his cap. “So, um… How do you feel about your first week since you transferred here?” He asks a bit shyly.

“Hmm…” He thinks about it for a moment. _“Oh you know; ignoring the fact that our PE teacher is sexually assaulting the female students and physically abuses the male students, the other students keep their distance and talks shit behind my back, there’s a different dimension where our PE teacher is revealed to be a real scumbag and abuses his power like a tyrant, and I’m gonna be expelled along with two other people…”_ “It’s okay, could’ve been better. How about you?”

 _“I’m sure it could be.”_ Shuichi thought. “It’s… okay. It could’ve been better too.”

“Glad we’re in the same boat then.” He chuckles.

“Yo, mornin’ Akira.” Ryuji walks up to the pair. “Oh, mornin’ to you too, Shuichi.” He smiles at them.

“Morning, Ryuji.”

“Good morning.” Shuichi nods.

“What’re you two doin’ standing here?”

The two dark haired students look at each other for a second. “Just top secret transfer student discussions.” Shuichi giggles at that.

“Ah I see, you teachin’ him how to be a criminal like you?” The blonde smirks.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He shrugs.

The former track star rolled his eyes. “C’mon, let’s head to school together. I mean, it’s right there, but whatever.”

The trio walked together, Ryuji in the middle of them with his arms around their shoulders, and had small banters, albeit just Ryuji and Akira talking with Shuichi listening and chiming in, which the undercover detective didn’t mind.

Shuichi wasn’t sure if the two boys heard as they walked, but he can hear whispers of the other students talking about how he’s gotten associated with the two ‘delinquents’ now and that they should avoid him now too. He wonders why everyone in Shujin is very judgemental.

With the knowledge he knows so far (including Akira’s criminal record, which he was falsely accused of), Shuichi can’t think badly about the two, especially now that they seem to have accepted him in their friend circle.

“They’re just teenagers fighting for justice. For ‘their’ justice.” Shuichi thought. _“And… I solve mysteries for the truth, no matter what it is... or no matter how scary it is or how much it hurts.”_ He turns his head slightly at them as Ryuji laughs at something Akira said. He smiles at their comradery, reminding him of his own with Kaede and Rantaro.

_“…And I will help them fight for their truth.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering, Ann's English VA is also Kaede's VA in Danganronpa V3. That's why I made Shuichi confused at the similar voices the girls had :)
> 
> Leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed!


	8. Becoming Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, new chapter is up and it's a long one: the fated crossover! It's very dialogue heavy so enjoy a lot of copy and paste dialogue script and a few of my own new added ones.
> 
> I know I said this is following the vanilla P5 base game story, but I added some of the extra added scenes from Royal to make it more 'enticing' (for lack of a better word) to read.

It was lunch time and the trio of Shujin students were eating at the school rooftop. Morgana had suggested for Akira to text them them to meet up here for lunch as he wanted to discuss something prematurely before the official meeting later after school. The students agreed and they crowded in on each other near the desks.

“What’s this about Morgana?” Ann asks.

“Yeah, I thought we were havin’ the meeting later.” Ryuji talks with his mouth full of yakisoba bread.

“We’ll still have that meeting later. I need to tell you something now because I’ve had a realization.”

“About what?” Akira takes a spoonful of curry that Sojiro packed for him.

“Earlier today, you two were talking to someone else on the way to school right? What was their name again?”

“You mean Shuichi? He’s a transfer student like Akira; he sits in front of me in my classroom. Pretty chill and calm guy.”

“Oh. I totally forgot we were getting two transfer students this week.” Ann said.

“What about him did you realize Morgana?” The glasses wearing boy said.

“I thought I recognized his voice when we were walking to school. I’ve been thinking about it all morning and that’s when I remembered why he sounds familiar.”

Akira’s hand froze as he lifted the spoonful of curry to his lips. He starts realizing where this is going as well, especially with what Morgana had told him last night. “Wait… Morgana, you don’t mean…”

The cat nods. “I do. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s him.”

“Huh? I ain’t gettin’ this at all.” Ryuji looks between the cat and other boy.

“Yeah, what’s this got to do with the other transfer student?” Ann twirls her pigtail.

Morgana turns to her. “You were captured when we had this conversation Lady Ann. I had mentioned to these two that I had met two other Persona users before I met them.”

“Really!? You have?” Ann’s eyes widened.

“Oh yeah, you never did tell us who they were.” Ryuji pocketed the yakisoba bread wrapper.

“I told Akira last night when he asked me about it again.”

“Well, who’re these other two Persona users? Do we know ‘em?”

“I know for a fact that you know one of them now. It’s Shuichi.”

The two blonde’s eyes widened and abruptly stood up from their chair and desk. “Wh-What!? Are you for real!?”

“Are you saying… the other transfer student is a Persona user too!?”

“Shhh. Keep your voices down.” Akira turned to the cat. “If that’s the case Morgana, then you must have met Shuichi…”

“Yeah, I met him after I helped you and Ryuji escaped the Palace the first time we met.”

“That was… five days ago.” Akira hums.

“If you met him in the Palace, then… he has the Metanav too?” The female blonde asked.

“But what was he even doin’ in the Palace? He just transferred five days ago and he’s never interacted with Kamoshida, from what I’ve seen.”

“He may have stumbled into the Metaverse by accident, Ryuji. Just like we did the first time.” Akira leans back on the chair.

“That’s a possibility. After I escorted you two out of the Palace, I went back into the castle to see if I could get the Treasure myself. Around, I’d say the afternoon in Metaverse time, I heard a fight going on in the lobby of the castle. I saw four Shadows ganging up on him and he was in danger. I was about to intervene when he started writhing in pain, the same way you were doing it Ryuji and Lady Ann.”

“Then… that must have been-” The faux blonde starts piecing things together now.

“Shuichi awakening to his Persona.” Akira nods, understanding the puzzle pieces falling into place.

“I was impressed; he took down four of the Shadows with ease. After the battle, I healed him up and took him into hiding until the guards settled down. I showed him the exit afterward. It slipped my mind to ask his name since I was caught off guard by his awakening.”

“That’s insane though. Hey, you think we can recruit him to our group?” Ryuji grinned at the thought.

“Is that really okay? Five whole days since he stumbled into the Palace and got his Persona, almost getting killed in the process. The guy might be scarred and confused after that.” Ann said.

“That’s very thoughtful of you Lady Ann. That’s why I’m proposing to have Shuichi join our meeting later.”

“You want him here later with us?” Akira turned to the cat.

“That’s right. We’ll just talk to him about the whole thing; let him know that we’re in the same boat as him. Then we’ll see if we can convince him to join us. So Ryuji, you’re in charge of getting him here later since he’s in your class, so don’t mess this up.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? ‘Course I’ll get ‘im up here.” He scowled.

“Great. That’s pretty much it. We’ll reconvene here after classes with Shuichi.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They finished up their lunches until it was time to head back. Back in 2-C, Shuichi was in his chair reading something on his textbook while finishing up his sandwich. Ryuji entered the classroom and immediately spotted his classmate with a strand of hair sticking out of his head.

 _“Is he really a Persona user?”_ The blonde boy thought. _“Well, we’ll find out when we go in the Palace.”_ He saunters over to his desk mate. “Yo, Shuichi.”

“Hey Ryuji.” He smiles. “Did you need something?”

“Uh, well, I was wonderin’ if you got some time later after school.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Just to, you know, hang out and chat with Akira and some of my other friends.”

“Sure, where are we hanging out?”

“Just at the school rooftop. Don’t worry; no one goes up there after school.”

“Oh… uh, okay. Yeah, I’ll follow you up there.”

“Nice.” He smiles and takes his seat.

Shuichi turns back to his textbook but a little confused. Why would they want him to hang out at the rooftop? He thought they’d go out to eat or shopping or something else. The blonde troublemaker sent out a message to his group that Shuichi would be in their meeting later.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After school finally rolls around and Ryuji pushes the door open with Shuichi right behind him. Ann and Akira were leaning against the clumped up desks, the latter a smile on his face to see the undercover detective.

“Hey Shuichi.”

“Ah, um… hey Akira… and Takamaki-san, I presume?”

She smiles back at him. “No need to be so formal. Just call me Ann.”

“See? Told’ja I’d bring him here.” Ryuji grinned proudly.

“Guess you’re not so useless after all.” A new voice comes in. Morgana appears in-between Ann and Akira, Shuichi’s eyes widen at the animal.

“Shut up you damn cat!” He stomps a foot.

“I am not a cat!” It hissed back.

“Stop it. Now isn’t the time for this.” Akira crossed his arms.

“Tch. They started it.” He kicks some dirt on the ground.

“So Shuichi. You might be wondering why Ryuji brought you here, right?”

“Um… a little. He said to come up here to hang out.” Shuichi looks to Morgana. “But, I’m starting to think I’m brought here for other reasons now.”

“Your perceptive. You can understand me then, right?” Morgana steps down to the ground and walks over to him.

The three students watched Shuichi with baited breath for his answer. Shuichi noticed the stares he got from them. _“Guess there’s no point in hiding it.”_

“…Yes, Morgana.”

The two blonde students raised their brows in surprise.

“…Holy shit.”

“So… it’s true then.”

Akira simply adjusts his glasses.

“It’s good to see you again.” Morgana purred.

Shuichi settled down in one of the chair next to Akira as the other two and the cat huddled around him. He spoke in a low voice to avoid other people hearing this conversation but loud enough for everyone else to hear. They all listened intently on how Shuichi stumbled upon Kamoshida’s castle in the Metaverse and how he awakened his Persona, all matching with Morgana’s story of how they met him. He also mentioned that he has been eavesdropping in their conversations, which is how he learned about the Metaverse and Palaces.

“So, you’ve been followin’ us inside the castle? Dude, we could’a used your help in taking down those Shadows, y’know?” Ryuji furrowed his brows.

“Ah, sorry. I just figured you guys had it covered.”

“Was it you as well that interfered with the Shadow’s attacks when we were in… dire situations?” Akira asked.

“Ah, well, not exactly…”

“Not exactly?” Ryuji asked.

“Um, you see, I… also have a, um… small group of… Persona users.”

“Wh-What!? For real!?” Ryuji jumped out of his seat.

“Quiet down!” Morgana hissed. “How many are there in your group?”

“Three. Myself included.”

“So there are other people who’ve awakened to their Personas…” Ann said.

“Dude! You and your group should totally come help us out at Kamoshida’s castle!” Ryuji grinned at the thought of having more people.

“Ah, you think so?”

“Having extra people that can fight will really help against the guards of the castle.” Akira nods.

“Is that all right with you? We won’t be intruding or anything?”

“Of course not. The more manpower, the more we can get done in the Palace.” Morgana flicked its’ tail.

“And all the better to take down that asshole! So, whaddya’ say Shuichi?”

He would definitely assist them and he’s sure about the other’s too as how they’re insistent on helping them out.

“I’d love to help.” He smiles.

“Aw hell yeah!” Ryuji does a fist pump and claps a hand on the detective’s shoulder. “This is gonn be so effin’ awesome! Kamoshida won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“Hold on, it’s still too early for us to head to the Palace.” Morgana shook its head.

“But why? Don’t we just gotta steal that Treasure thing?”

“Don’t underestimate the dangers of that place. We need to prepare.”

“Ain’t that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?”

“That’s exactly what I mean when I say don’t underestimate it. You’ll die if you mess up in there. So again, we need to prepare before we head in.”

“But… how exactly are we supposed to do that?”

“I’m glad you asked, Lady Ann.” Morgana sits on its hind legs. “First, we’ll need to find better equipment for all of you.”

“You talkin’ about weapons? Oh, I know a kick-ass place!”

“In that case, you can handle that side of things. The only other thing would be stocking up on medicine. Fatigue is unavoidable in a Palace…”

“And where can we get medicine?” Ann twirls a pigtail.

“Don’t worry, I know just the place. I hope you look forward to it, Lady Ann!”

Shuichi blinked at that. Is Morgana hitting on her? A cat… flirting with a human?

“So, Shuichi, I’m assuming your group has access to obtain weapons and medicine? Wherever that might be?”

“Yes. We have.” He nods as he remembers Kaede purchasing medicine from a pharmacist. Weapon wise, he can visit the airsoft shop in Shibuya.

“Good. I’m sure your group can take care of your own supplies and needs so; I won’t poke my nose around your base of operations. Now then, Akira and I have some business in Yongen, so let’s head off for today!”

Akira raised a brow. “Uh, what business…?”

“Just come with me! I won’t be able to get close enough by myself!”

They exchanged phone numbers and chat IDs with Shuichi before the group of kids dispersed for the rest of the day. Akira and Morgana headed off to Yongen to speak with a sketchy doctor near the café as the others went home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shuichi messaged his other group about what had happened to day and wanted their input on all of them joining Akira’s group. As expected, they were ecstatic to join and help them. He received a message from Ryuji in the other group chat concerning going to the shop that sells model guns. The detective chimed in saying he’s been there once to buy a few model weapons and he knows how to get there, so he declined the invitation from the blonde when he’d show Akira around Shibuya.

The two delinquents wound their way through Shibuya until Ryuji led them in a back alley revealing the Airsoft shop.

“Oh yeah, before we head in… do you know anything about guns and shit?”

“Not really. All I know is that they shoot things.” Akira chuckled.

Ryuji gave a small smile. “I guess we can just ask the guy behind the counter if we can’t figure out what we want. C’mon, let’s do this.”

Once they entered the shop, they were overwhelmed with the different products and décor inside it. There were displays of SMGs, rifles, machine pistols, some military gear, ear muffs, visors and goggles, and some sort of bottled liquids in the glass display case. The two teens looked around in wonder but they have no idea where to start.

In front of them was a surly looking man behind the counter; the manager if the teens had to guess. He was checking out some items for a customer. What caught the teens off guard was the customer: it was a girl with long dark hair in twin tails that look like they reach her ankles. She has a small beauty mark just below her left eye. She kind of gives off this… scary stand off-ish vibe about her. Once the man accepted the payment; she said her thank you, placed her items in her backpack and made her way to the door.

“…Excuse me.” She said flatly but no hint of aggression.

“Oh, sorry.” Ryuji stepped away and so did Akira. Just like that, she was gone and blended into the busy bodies of Shibuya. They definitely took note of her piercing red eyes.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged. Akira walked up to the counter where the man was behind at, who was sitting back and reading a magazine now. He noticed their presence and looks up. “…You lookin’ for recommendations?”

“Uhhh… yes.” He gave a quick unsure glance to Ryuji then back to the man. “What can you… recommend for us?”

He turns back to his magazine. “…I dunno, just buy whatever looks interestin’ to you.”

The blonde scowled. “Ugh, some customer service…”

The man looked to the blonde and rolled his eyes, closing his magazine. “Fine…” He sighed. “Whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?”

Now it was Ryuji who gave Akira an unsure glance. “Uh, automatic…?” Akira shrugs, making the blonde scowl at the manager again. “Dude, why’re you talkin’ about cars now!?”

The man furrowed his brows. “Listen, this here’s an enthusiast shop. My regulars’ll be mad if I let a casual like you hang around.”

Ryuji stomps his foot. “I’m not a freakin’ casual! I bought shit from here like, last week!”

It didn’t seem to intimidate the man. “Huh, can’t remember you.”

“You bastard…” The blonde muttered.

The manager looked to Akira. “And you? Lookin’ for somethin’?

Remembering what Morgana said back in the Palace, the fake gun Ryuji gave him shot bullets in the Metaverse when it shouldn’t be able to in the real world, due to it looking real enough that the enemies will think it’s a real gun. Going by that logic, Akira wouldn’t need to buy an actual firearm. It would spell trouble if he did and the police searched him for whatever reason. Not that buying a model gun was any better even if it wasn’t usable. Plus, they won’t have to spend more money on ammunition.

“Um, well, I was thinking of something that looks real. Like, a fancy model gun.”

There was a twinkle in the man’s eye as he heard that. “…Oh?” He straightened up on his chair. “You a collector? Heh, you’re way more interestin’ than blondie over here.”

“Oh, shut it!” He kicks some dirt on the floor.

“Anyways… you shoulda said before you two’re enthusiasts. I’m always up for helpin’ fresh faces. Some precautions first though…” He leans in for them to hear. “Don’t go ‘round pointing ‘em at other people. Keep ‘em in a bag or somethin’ if you’re outside.” The boys nod. “Oh, and don’t let the fuzz catch wind of you having ‘em. I don’t need them comin’ around here.”

A sudden flashback of Akira being taken away by two men in uniform into a car after being falsely accused of assault appeared in the glasses wearer’s mind. No one believed him in his trial and that’s how he wound up in Tokyo in the first place. Not to mention the two policemen that appeared before them after coming back to the real world and threw them under the bus to the school admin for ditching morning classes and getting an earful from Sojiro later that day.

“We hate the cops.” Akira huffs.

The manager raised his brows at that, not expecting that answer. “Huh… So do I.”

Ryuji took a small glance at Akira as he said that. He knows that Akira was treated unfairly when they ate out at the ramen shop. His expression was unreadable, but Ryuji can feel some disdain in the words Akira said. Not that he blamed him.

“Now, if you look close, you’ll be able to tell these’re models. Real guns feel… different. Maybe someday I’ll show you the real good stuff though- if you got the guts for it, of course.” He stands up and stretches. “…But for now, you get the beginner selection. Just sit tight, I’ll bring ‘em out.” He walks to the back area of the shop.

The blonde nudges Akira’s arm. “Heh, we did it, dude! We totally gotta go for some fancy shit, right? I want ‘em to shine!” He grins.

Akira smiles at him. As if all that negative emotion he felt was completely washed away when he sees the blonde smiling toothily at him.

“Oh, and here’s the cash for mine. Pick me out something good!”

Akira laughs softly. “No promises, Ryuji.”

The manager comes back with some of the beginner selection as he mentioned. While Akira browsed and inspected his choices, Ryuji wandered around the store eyeing some of the merchandise. He’d mostly seen standard pistols in some of the action movies he watched but he recognizes some of them such as a model rocket launcher, hunting rifle, and some shotguns.

Akira bought what he thought was appropriate for each member, excluding Shuichi and his group, with the money Ryuji gave him. Once they were good to go, he put away his bought goods in his bag (careful to not hit Morgana) and tapped the blonde on his shoulder.

“Hm? Goin’ home already?”

“Yup. We’re good to go.”

He smiles again. “Sweet. Let’s get goin’!” They thanked the shop owner and headed out. “So, what did you get me?”

“Ryuji, I can’t show them out here, remember?”

“Yeah I know. But can you tell me what you got me?” He nudged his side.

“And risk someone hearing our conversation?” He raised a brow at him.

“Okay, okay.” The blonde chuckled. “I’m just messin’ with ya.”

As much as both boys would want to hang out with each other, Ryuji has to help his mom out at home. They talked about random things on their way to the subway station. Just then, the blonde remembered the encounter with the girl in the airsoft shop.

“Hey, remember that girl we saw? You know, the one with the long dark hair in twin tails?”

“Mm, what about it?”

“What was a girl like her doin’ in a shop like that?”

Akira shrugs. “No idea. Maybe she’s an enthusiast too.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shuichi spent the day hanging out with Rantaro. Kaede was busy and the green haired boy had some free time. He hasn’t had the chance to get to know him better since he was busy preparing his papers to transfer to Shujin. Not to mention figuring out what Mementos was all about.

The detective learned that Rantaro is actually a third year in his school, making him his senpai. But Rantaro doesn’t mind the formalities. He also learns that he dislikes cars, (which he didn’t expand on nor did Shuichi felt the need to press on) so he bikes to his school and wherever. He also likes extraterritorial rights; mainly due to it being a major factor in one chapter in this game he played about prosecutors and the law.

“Traveling is my hobby.” Rantaro said as they sat down to eat their takoyaki. “Actually, I travel around the world by boat.”

“On a boat! Whoa, that’s amazing!”

He chuckles. “No, no, I’m not the amazing one, my dad is. I just freeload on his boat. I’m... how do I put this?” He thinks for a second. “I guess you could say I’m a ‘rich kid’. My family is pretty wealthy. I sorta take my parents’ boat and do whatever I want.” Realizing what he said, he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. “Oh man, I sound like a spoiled brat, don’t I?”

“No, not at all… I’m just taken aback. I’ve never met a ‘rich kid’ before…”

He shrugs. “Well, I help out with the family business, too. I look for trading partners while I travel. Globetrotting like that, you make a lot of connections, y’know?”

“How much traveling have you done?”

“A lot, probably since middle school.”

“That’s impressive… and sounds like a lot of fun too.” He chuckles.

“It is. The sightseeing, the street food, different cultures, and all other things are great experiences to try.” He smiles.

“I’m just wondering how you have the time to travel so much.” Shuichi adjusted his cap.

“I’m actually taking a break from traveling this year. My parents say I need a break…” He paused and Shuichi noticed a slight grimace on the boy’s face as he said that. “…Otherwise I’ll bring back some unwanted sickness like last time.”

_“Last time!?”_

Rantaro noticed him widen his eyes at that and chuckles. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything life threatening. Just some mild pneumonia is all.”

“Mild pneumonia!?”

They finished their takoyaki and went ahead to go look around at some shops, not really buying anything in particular. Shuichi was glad to have gotten to know Rantaro better. He feels a bond has formed with him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday comes around and a new school week starts. Akira is most unfortunate to have met Kamoshida in front of the school and be taunted by him, even though he put on a fake ‘admirable’ attitude for the gym teacher.

Homeroom period ends without an event and Kawakami has called for Akira to have a word with him in the guidance office. Yet again another run in with Kamoshida as he exits out of it and praises his homeroom teacher for ‘getting on top of the problem.’ Once the PE teacher left, they entered and sat down.

“I’m going to get straight to the point: did something happen between you and Mr. Kamoshida?”

Knowing it’s best to keep his mouth shut about the Metaverse and everything that came along with it, the glasses wearer asks back innocently. “Why do you ask?”

“Well there was that little exchange just now, but that’s not all…” She crosses her arms before continuing. “He gave me a brief lecture this morning, and your name came up. Something about the dangers of a lack of supervision.”

Akira nonchalantly twists the bangs on his face. “Hm. Not sure why that is.”

Kawakami sighs. “I don’t mean to pry, but… just make sure you don’t go causing trouble, okay? Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve heard from the other students that you’ve been hanging around the other transfer student. You’re not harassing him, are you?”

He knew this was bound to come up. Shuichi has been a good guy so far from what he can tell. “Well, his hair is pretty funny with the way it sticks out like that.” He internally apologized to the other dark haired student.

She raised a skeptic brow. “…Uh huh. Look, Mr. Kamoshida has a real close eye on you… Apparently, you’ve been getting involved with Sakamoto-kun. You seem acquainted with Saihara-san as well. Not just that, but you and Sakamoto-kun were seen being ‘buddy buddy’ with Saihara-san last week.

Akira shrugs. “No idea what to tell you.”

“…Maybe you’re just naturally drawn to athletes and bookworms?” Akira just blinks at her and she shakes her head. “Sorry, bad joke. That’s all I wanted to discuss. You’re free to go.”

Akira nods and he heads back to his classroom. He sees Morgana looking up at him in the little space in his desk and he shrugs, a way of saying ‘I’ll tell you about it later’.

Shuichi was paying attention in class when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He picks it up to see Ryuji had messaged the group chat he was invited in. Ann and Akira were online as well.

 **Ryuji:** So I saw Kamoshida at the school gate this morning.

 **Ryuji:** He was just standing there looking at me with this shit-eating grin on his face.

 **Ann:** Ugh, that’s annoying… He was probably mocking you.

 **Akira:** I pretended to be nice and greeted him a good morning and he shot down my ‘admirable attitude’, saying it won’t matter once I’m expelled.

Shuichi frowned. Why is Kamoshida like this? Why is he making life hell for them and other students?

 **Ryuji:** Honestly, seeing that got me even more fired up about this. We’re definitely gonna pull this off.

 **Ann:** Yeah. I’m worried about Shiho, but I want to concentrate on our operation too. And I won’t let myself get exhausted like last time.

 **Ryuji:** The board meeting’s May 2nd, right? We just gotta take care of him before then.

 **Akira:** I’m ready for this.

 **Ryuji:** Same goes for me.

 **Ann:** Me too! I’ll do my best. No going in without me, okay?

The novice detective smiled at their comradery. They’ve formed a strong bond as Persona users, just like he did with Kaede and Rantaro. He starts typing as well.

 **Shuichi:** I’m gonna give it my best too.

 **Shuichi:** My team will be there for you guys as well. Just let me know when we’ll go so I can message them.

 **Ryuji:** That’s the spirit Shuichi!

 **Ann:** Oh right! I can’t wait to meet the others.

 **Akira:** I look forward to seeing how you and your group fair in the battlefield.

 **Ryuji:** You better let us know if you’re going into the Palace, Akira.

 **Akira:** *thumbs up emoji*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The last bell of the day just rang signaling for the students to go home. Kaede felt her phone vibrate and she brings it out to see Shuichi left a message on the group chat.

Shuichi: Hey guys. Their heading into the Palace today. Come on over if you can.

Rantaro: Awesome. I can’t wait to meet your friends and see Morgana again :)

Kaede: Yeah! I’m pumped to do this!

Feeling determination coursing through her body, she hauled her bag and sped out of the door to the train station to meet up with Rantaro.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shuichi headed to the rooftop with his classmates; their hideout, to discuss what needs to be done. He’ll relay what Morgana says to his group while they’re still on the way to Shujin. He adjusted his cap as Morgana leapt out of Akira’s bag and settled on one of the desks.

“Okay. I hope you all understand that our time limit is May 2nd.”

“We basically just have to go to that castle and steal the Treasure from Kamoshida, right?” Ann asked.

“But wait, what even is a Treasure? I wanna know that before we do anything.” Ryuji crossed his arms.

“A Treasure is the physical form of the Palace ruler’s distorted desires. In other words, it’s the core of the Palace. Once we steal it, the Palace will crumble… I think. Having said all that, even I don’t know what Kamoshida’s Treasure is going to be.”

“And where can we find it?” Shuichi asks.

“There’s no way of knowing that until we go in and find out. But if I had to guess, I’d say he has it locked up somewhere in the depths of the Palace.”

“Eh, I think I get it now” Ryuji nods.. “We just gotta find the Treasure, yeah?”

“Pretty much. There’s just a lot we won’t know until we go in…” Morgana flicks its tail. “In any case, our objective is to find the Treasure’s location somewhere in the Palace. Make sure we go about this with time to spare so we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances.”

The students nod in unison.

“I expect great things from you guys.” The cat turns to the detective. “The same goes for you and your group Shuichi. I’m excited to see how your group dynamic is.”

“Right.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They stayed at the rooftop for a few minutes until Shuichi heard from either of his friends that they were walking out of the underground. They talked more about random things that came to mind and discussed infiltration strategies. Shuichi messaged his friends about the things Morgana told them about and not too long after, Kaede told him that they’re out of the underground and making their way to Shujin now.

“Ah, my friends are on the way here now.”

“Good. Let’s meet them outside.” Morgana hopped into Akira’s bag and the raven haired boy hoisted his bag over his shoulder.

“Ok, let’s go.” Ann dusted herself off.

“Alright! I’m gonna bust lose!” Ryuji jumped out of his chair.

Luckily for them, there were only a few students lingering inside the school building but there were a few left hanging around the entrance. Morgana decided to change up the plan and have Shuichi and his group join them in the Metaverse, to avoid attracting suspicion on such large group. They won’t go anywhere; they’ll wait for them in front of the castle. Shuichi opted to stay out for his friends to notice him immediately.

Kaede walked with Rantaro in a fast paced walk, eager to take on a Palace with new faces on the same side as them. Once the two rounded the corner they spotted Shuichi and jogged up to him. He smiled at them and greeted them. He ushered them into the now empty alleyway so the students around them don’t think they’re suspicious.

“Where’s the others?” Rantaro asked.

“They went ahead to the castle. They should be waiting for us there."

“Alright. I did stock up on medicine yesterday and a few other healing items. We should be good to go.” Kaede said.

“Look at you being Ms. Prepared.” Rantaro chuckled.

“Well, duh! What we’re doing is pretty dangerous.” Kaede huffed.

Shuichi laughed lightly and brought out his phone. “Okay, okay. Let’s calm down. I’m gonna bring us over now.”

He typed in the necessary information until they felt the world shift and swirl red and black around them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“But daaamn…” Skull grinned as he eyed Ann’s Metaverse outfit.

“Hm? What’s up?” Ann, oblivious, twirled her pigtail.

“N-Nothing. I-I was just thinkin’ we should choose a code name for you too.”

“A code name?”

“I’m Skull, he’s Joker, and that’s Mona.”

“Judging by your costume…” Mona looks over Ann.

“I mean, she’s got that tail and stuff, so…” Ryuji pondered then looked to Joker. “Whadda you think, Akira?”

Akira, now Joker, slightly smirked at the name slip up Skull made but decided to let it pass for now. He looked over Ann as well and he can’t deny that she looks really beautiful in the red latex attire.

“Well, since Cat Woman is already taken; maybe Catgirl?”

She looks to him bewildered. “Wait! Is that what you’re going to call me from now on!? I am SO not down with this!”

“What do you wanna be called, then?” Ryuji shifted his weight.

“Um, something better than just a little cat…” Ann ponders for a second, tilting her head in thought. “Maybe… ‘Panther’? That sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?”

“Huh? Why?”

“’Cause it sounds more… ferocious?”

“She’s a cougar…” Mona says happily.

“Don’t call me that!” Ann noticed three people warped into the Metaverse a few feet ahead of them. “Oh! Is that them?”

They look up to where she’s pointing and see three figures in different attires. A blonde girl wore a purple ball gown, a boy wore some sort of long trench coat and vest underneath, and the other boy looked like an old school detective.

“Ah, there they are!” Shuichi, now Ace in the Metaverse, along with his companions walked up to them. There was a slight pause as they stared Ace’s group. “Ah, um… we’re here.”

“Rantaro!?” Mona yowled.

The green haired boy smiled. “Good to see you again, Morgana.”

“Huh!? You know this dude!?” Skull looked to the short cat.

“It’s a long story. Better to tell it for another time.” Rantaro, now Scout, shrugged.

“Nice outfit Shuichi. Very ‘Sherlock Holmes’.” Joker nods to him.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” He adjusts his cap.

“C’mon Shuichi! Ain’t you gonna introduce your friends to us?” Skull grinned.

“Oh right. Um, these are my friends and partners.” He gestures to the two of them.

“Hey there. My name is Rantaro Amami.” He brings a hand waves lightly at them.

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu.” She smiles vibrantly at them.

Ryuji flinched at her voice. _“What… the hell? Why does she sound like…”_ He glances back to Ann, who doesn’t seem to have recognized the similar voice the other girl has.

“Akira Kurusu.” He smiles and nods to them.

“As Rantaro said before, I am Morgana."

“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Ann Takamaki.”

“Wait… Takamaki? As in, the one in that cover magazine?” Kaede’s eyes widened under her purple mask.

“Yeah, you might have seen me in a couple of magazines. I’m a part-time model.” She said sheepishly.

“No way! You look so gorgeous in your photoshoots! And your Metaverse outfit right now looks so good on you!”

“O-Oh! Uh, thank you.” She looks at Kaede’s dress. “That’s a really nice dress on you.”

“I agree with Lady Ann. That is a very nice dress.” Mona ponders for a moment. _“Hm… Lady Ann… and Lady Kaede…”_

“Thanks! It’s actually really comfy, believe it or not.”

As the two blonde girls exchanged compliments to each other, Ryuji stared back and forth between them. _“It’s like… they’re talkin’ to each other.”_ He thought.

Shuichi walks up to him and nudges him, grabbing the skull wearer’s attention. He leans in to his ear (as best as he could due to Skull’s giant collar). “Don’t they sound the same to you?” He whispers.

Skull turns back with wide eyes and nods vigorously. He whispers back to him. “Dude! I thought I was the only one goin’ crazy hearing them with the similar voice! Akira and Mona don’t seem to hear the similarities.”

“Neither does Rantaro.” Shuichi whispers back.

“Hey, what’re you two whispering about over there?” Kaede speaks up.

“N-Nothing!” Shuichi flinches.

“You better not be thinking about dirty thoughts about our outfits.” Ann scowls under her mask.

“W-We’re not! Promise!” Ryuji brings his hands up in defense.

“Skull. You haven’t introduced yourself yet.” Joker eyes him, trying to not laugh at their misfortune.

“H-Huh? Oh! Right! I’m Ryuji Sakamoto.” He grins.

“Okay, now with formalities done, you guys need code names too. Unless you already have code names since before meeting us.” Mona eyes them.

“We do actually. My code name is Aria.” Kaede said.

“I’m Scout.” Rantaro nods.

“Mine is Ace.”

“Awesome! I’m Skull, he’s Joker, that’s Mona, and Panther, our newest member of our group.”

“Hey, that’s pretty cool.” Kaede turns to Akira. “Joker…” She turns to Shuichi. “And Ace. Kind of like the ones in playing cards.”

“Oh yeah. Pretty funny coincidence.” Rantaro said.

“Well, it’s great to meet you guys. But more importantly: Kamoshida!” Ann sets the mood.

“Oh, right. Let’s go!” Ryuji wound up his shoulder to stretch it.

Everyone nodded in unison and crossed the drawbridge. They stared at the looming castle, ready to take it on together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to reiterate" Ann's English VA is also Kaede's VA. Since Ryuji knows Ann and Shuichi knows Kaede, I decided to make a gag bit where only those two boys can hear the eerily similar voices of the two girls.


	9. Castle Crashing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg finally! The next chapter is here! I am so sorry for the wait y'all! I hope I kept this chapter interesting and engaging to read through. Navigating the Palaces and making up dialogue is a bit tough and boring haha.
> 
> Also, please be careful as I reference Shiho's su*cide attempt near the end of the chapter!

“All right, let’s start fresh and get goin’!” Skull grinned as he wound up his shoulders.

“It’s game time from this point forward. I’ll teach all of you the basics of infiltrating s Palace as we go.” Mona started walking to the window of entry.

They all followed suit with Joker trailing behind. Just then, a flash of blue engulfed his surroundings. He felt a presence and turned to see Justine looking at him.

“Justine?”

“My master would like a word with you.”

The blue prison doors open. He looks back to the group to see that they’re chatting with one another in front of the window. They don’t seem to notice the blue glow or the Velvet Room door. He turns back to it and Justine watches him, unmoving. Hopefully this won’t take too long and they notice him missing. Maybe time moved faster in the Velvet Room? He enters with the young warden following him.

A few seconds pass after they entered, the door opens again with Caroline walking out of it with an annoyed expression. She turns to the group and smacks her baton on the metal bars of the door. Aria and Ace immediately looked behind them to see the other twin warden tapping her foot.

“Get over here, Inmates!”

With wide eyes they walked towards her (without the others noticing) and Aria spoke up.

“Caroline!? What are you doing here?”

“This is no time for questions, Inmate! My master needs to see you both! Now hurry up! You’ve already wasted a good amount of his time!”

The two Persona users looked to each other then back to the others, who still hasn’t realized they left them (preoccupied with Mona’s teachings), then back to each other and shrugged. Aria entered first and Ace was kicked by Caroline from behind and stumbled forward.

Akira waited in his cell after experiencing Igor’s ‘aid’ of fusing Personas. He may or may not have shuddered seeing the guillotine come down on the two he sacrificed. Now, he’s waiting for Caroline to come back as Igor instructed her to fetch the other two wild cards.

Who were they, he wondered. Are they good people? Would he get along with them? Are they experienced veterans or are they new to this whole Persona thing like he is? Would his team like them? Too many questions clouded his mind. Akira was at least relieved that there were other wild cards to help him with this ‘ruin’ that was incoming, whatever it is.

A blue glow seeped through his prison cell. Akira got up from his hard bed to see Justine move away from his cell to another close to him. He turns to his right to see Caroline has returned and swatted her baton on a different prison cell, telling whoever was inside to hurry up.

His eyes grew wide to see Shuichi appear on his right and to see the new teammate Kaede to his left.

Igor chuckled. “Welcome wild cards. I sought out the opportunity to call you here, as to finally have all your paths crossed.” He gestured each hand to Kaede and Shuichi then to Akira; the two of them followed his gesture and stared at him.

“A-Akira!? You’re… the other wild card?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
“So, that concludes on why it’s very important to keep your voices low when you’re sneaking around.” Mona side eyes Skull, making the latter roll his eyes.

“Now, are there any more questions?”

The two blondes shook their heads. Rantaro shrugs. “Pretty straightforward. What about you gu- uh?"

“Hm? Something wrong?” Ann turns to him.

“Why are they…?” He points to the three missing fighters.

They all turned to his directions to see Aria, Joker, and Ace standing in place with their backs turned to them. They were perfectly still, unmoving and not saying anything.

“The hell?” Ryuji raised a brow under his mask. “Hey you guys! Joker!” He yelled to the trio.

“What did I just say!? Were you even listening to my lecture!?”

“Aria! Ace!” Rantaro called out to them.

“S-Seriously!? You too, Scout!?” Morgana’s eyes widen.

The trio didn’t turn around. It didn’t seem like they heard them. “What’s gotten into them?” Ann asked. “Are they… staring at something interesting?”

“It’s just some barricades their looking at. Can’t be all that interesting.” Rantaro crossed his arms.

“Hey Mona. Is this world causin’ them to do weird shit like that? Are all of us gonna start starin’ for no reason?” Ryuji turned back to the cat.

“I… I’m not sure. I don’t know why they’re doing that.” Its ears drooped. On the bright side, they weren’t collapsed on the ground or showing any signs of hurt. “Let’s… go check up on them.”

As they closed the distance, the three wild card users started coming back to their senses. They blinked a few times and remembered where they were. Joker looked to his sides to see Aria and Ace were looking at him and at each other.

“Ah… umm…” Shuichi adjusted his hat.

The pianist smiled at him then to Joker. “Well, I guess Ace and I will see you more often Joker.”

He smiled back. “Seems like it. It’s actually nice to know that I’m not the only one who can wield more than one Persona.”

Kaede pumped her fists. “We’re in this together now. Us wild cards have to stick together.”

Shuichi nods. “That’s right. We’ll all exchange contacts after we’re done.”

“Hey you guys.”

They turn around to see the other members walking up to them with concerned looks on their faces. Morgana skips towards them with ears drooped.

“Something wrong? You guys were just standing around all of a sudden.”

The wild card trio blinked at the cat then looked at each other. They suspect that in their eyes, the three of them were just standing still in place.

“W-Well, uh, it’s nothing to worry about…” Aria sheepishly tucks a hair behind her ear.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. We’re okay. Just getting to know each other is all.” Joker shrugs.

Ryuji rubs the back of his neck. He didn’t even see them move an inch of their body. How exactly are they ‘getting to know each other’ by just staring at a corner? “Man, it’s hard to tell what you’re thinkin’ sometimes, Joker.”

“Let’s just say he’s a man of high caliber. Probably the same goes for you two.” It looks at Kaede and Shuichi. “Okay, we’re counting on you Joker.”

Joker nods. They start making their way back to the broken window as their entryway. The wild card trio lagged behind and Kaede turns to him.

“What did Mona mean by ‘counting on you’?”

“Well, they know that I can change Personas. I’m a trump card of sorts, as what Mona told me.”

“Because each Personas we wield have strengths and weaknesses. That way, we can switch to a Persona if a certain shadow is weak to a certain attack.” Shuichi deduces.

“I’m sure my team will be surprised to see you two in action, switching Personas and all.” Joker smirked. “It’ll be a spectacle to watch.”

They caught up with the others who were waiting for them. “So, where do we start?” Ryuji asks Mona.

“Let’s head to the safe room we found last time. It’s in the first floor of the west building. That’s pretty close to our usual entrance. It should be a pretty decent starting point.”

“Uh, safe room?” Panther raises a brow.

“It’ll make sense when you see it. Welp, let’s head out!”

* * *

Exploring the castle and finding the treasure was going to be a long trek. Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona lead the way while Aria, Scout, and Ace followed a few steps back, to avoid being caught in a large group and to see if they were being followed.

They also decided that after each group has one fight, the other group comes in to take on the next. Ace, Aria, and Scout watched the other team take on some shadows first after Joker flashily jumped on its back to rip off its mask. They still kept a look on out for their backside in case back up appears but they were good on that, so they carefully watched the other group’s dynamic in battle.

Joker seems to be the leader of their group as he is giving orders every so often. Rantaro definitely was taken aback that he was able to change Personas like his two other friends. Mona appeared to be the healer while possessing wind attacks. Skull was the muscle of the group and wielded electricity and Panther dished out fire spells and support magic. Their group was very well rounded.

Once they were done, the second team took the lead with Mona joining them to teach them about sneaking around. A guard was nearby and Kaede took the initiative with a sneak attack; slicing the exposed back of the knee with the sharp ends of her fan. The guard crumpled to the ground and dissipated to four shadows, easily outnumbering the trio. Mona was ready to join in just in case they need an extra hand or a designated healer.

The Shujin trio watched as the second group used their Personas first. Scout used wind skills like Mona, Ace used curse moves like Joker, and Aria wielded a bless magic; the same ball of light that got them out of a hairy situation when they saved Ann last time. Kaede also had some healing moves so they suspect her to be group healer while Shuichi and Rantaro had some support moves. They lacked a strong hitter in their group but they managed to take down the shadows regardless.

“Man that was freakin’ awesome! You guys are pretty good!” Ryuji grinned at them.

“Agreed. Those tonfas look like they hurt, Ace.” Joker nods.

Ace laughs lightly. “Thank you.” He shyly scratches his face earning pat on the shoulder from his male classmates.

“Those fans are really cool, Aria! Pretty, but deadly. I like it!” Ann complimented her.

“I was surprised that these were my weapons when I awakened to Echo. I had no idea how to hold or use them at first.” She dusted off her purple dress.

“Still agile as I remembered you to be, Ra-err Scout.” Mona crosses its arms.

“I learned from you after all.” He huffs with confidence.

They continued their trek with a few more fights and as they saw a guard near the safe room they were to enter, it was back to the second group to fight. Shuichi took the initiative this time and smacked the guard upside the head with his tonfa. Ryuji winced at the impact but was impressed at his desk mate nonetheless.

Four shadows formed from one guard again. Skull stepped in himself to lend some of his strength to the group. He gave a thumbs up at them and readied his arm to swing his pipe. The zio user didn’t expect for his desk mate and Aria to wield multiple Personas like Joker. He and Rantaro didn’t even get a chance to do anything as the pianist and detective wiped the floor of the shadows.

“Holy shit…” Skull muttered.

“Nice job you two.” Rantaro smiles at his teammates.

“W-Wait! You two… can switch Personas as well!?” Mona looks between them.

Aria giggles. “Surprise.”

“I-Incredible… I didn’t know more than one person could have this power.”

They entered the safe room as they heard guards coming down the hall. The safe room looked the same as it did. The scenery shifted to a classroom for a moment and returned to a royal meeting room.

“Huh? What’s up with this place?” Panther looks around.

“It’s a gap in the cognition. A safe room, if you will.” Mona nods.

“Yeah, still not getting it.”

“Right?” Skull chimes in. “Uhhh, I’m fuzzy on the details, but I think it’s some kind of spot where shadows can’t find us.”

“Huh… I didn’t think a place like that existed here.”

“Are you sure they aren’t gonna barge in here and corner us?” Aria crosses her arms. “We just assumed that we got lucky and the Shadows didn’t check in here.”

“I don’t think the guard we attacked even noticed the door, Aria.” Ace exclaimed.

“Right, because the Palace ruler doesn’t have full control on certain areas of the Palace. Thus, resulting in creating safe rooms like this. Shadows won’t see the door to safe rooms because the ruler doesn’t have control of certain places in your world, back at the school.”

“Basically, Kamoshida isn’t thinking about certain classrooms back in our world.” Joker simplifies. “This one we’re in is one of them.”

“Thank you, Joker.” Mona nods.

“So, what do we do in this ‘safe room’?”

“Take a break, duh. Oh, and we talk about stuff too.”

“So, the place is for resting and plotting… Got it.”

Every took to different parts of the room to rest: Kaede and Ann sat together in a corner and talked about Ann’s modeling gig and Kaede’s piano concerts, giggling to each other every so often. Shuichi joined Rantaro and Morgana’s conversation of the garu users catching up with each other on the meeting table. Akira and Ryuji took the couch and just observed the rest of the group while talking about other things.

“Dude, do you notice what I’m noticin’?” Skull whispers.

“What is it?”

“You know how Ace’s got that strand of hair stickin’ out of his head?” Joker nods. “Check out Aria over there.”

The black haired boy turns to the blonde in purple and sees the strand of blonde hair sticking out. “Huh. I just noticed that.”

“Right? Look at Scout now.” They turn to the green haired boy. “It ain’t as noticeable as the other two, but you can kind of see two small ones stickin’ up.”

Joker hums. “I… can kind of see it, yeah.”

“What’s that about? Is it some kind of signature group look they got goin’ on?”

“No idea. It’s… kind of endearing, honestly.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of cute if they did think of that as their signature group.”

“Heh, cute huh?” The zio user nudges him. “Maybe we should think of somethin’ for our group.”

“Well, we’ll see.”

After a few minutes Joker called everyone to the meeting table for a discussion. He opted to stand next to Panther and Skull to let the other have a seat and Mona standing on the table.

“What are your thoughts Joker?”

“Just making sure, is everyone okay so far? Anyone feeling tired?”

“I’m still feelin’ pumped.” Skull grinned.

“Same here.” Panther nodded.

“I’m still good to go.” Aria spoke up.

“Ditto.” Scout smiled.

“Yeah, I’m still fine.” Ace agreed.

“By the way, do you guys have a supposed leader in your group?” Mona looks to the trio. “We decided to have Joker lead our team. How about you guys?”

“Well, we don’t really have a leader.” Aria answers.

“We just kind of go off of each other’s callouts and other thing.” Scout shrugs. “I think it works pretty well.”

“I see. That’s not bad at all. I’ll ask you guys just in case: do you guys mind if you listened to Joker’s commands throughout this mission?”

They look at each other for a moment and smiled. “We don’t mind.” Shuichi answers.

“Perfect. Oh! I just remembered as well! While we’re here in this safe room, I’ll teach you guys how to teleport back here so we don’t have to start from the beginning every time.”

“Huh? You could have told us that earlier!” Skull sighs.

“We can… teleport in the Metaverse?” Ace asks.

“It’s easy. I’ll show you, so follow along.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The group continued their infiltration of the castle; the wild cards also recruiting shadows into their masks. Using a power Igor gifted her, Aria tapped into her Sound Tracker to listen for any enemies walking around or talking somewhere. It has come in handy a few times where an enemy was coming up from behind them and they had to hide once Aria picked up on their steps.

After a few more fights, the group enters a room filled with bars. The bars seem to be blocking something in the middle of the room. This was the last room Ace, Aria, and Scout entered before leaving out to the upper level of the lobby as they couldn’t figure out how to raise the bars. It was at the same time they witnessed Ryuji awaken to his Persona.

“If he’s protecting something this securely, it has to be important. That means there should be a way in and out of there. Joker, do you think you can solve the mystery of this room? I’m sure your observation skills will help us get through.”

Guess it’s a good time to use the Third Eye power Igor gave me, he thought to himself. “Sure, I’ll get us through.” He smirked with confidence.

“Shouldn’t we help him find clues on how to get through? I feel bad that he has to do this by himself.” Aria asked.

“No, no. I can figure this out.” Joker assures the piano player and activates his Third Eye.

With this power, Joker can see things beyond a normal person can. He starts walking and observing the room, trying to see what looks different. Ace and Aria look at each other and shrug, following the other wild card and soon the whole group follows in step.

Joker hums in interest at a head of a goat statue. He sees there are traces of handprints on it and on the lever attached to the statue. The raven boy pulls on the lever expecting the bars to make way for them, but to no avail.

“Huh, I thought that would do the trick.” Panther muses.

“Maybe it’s the wrong lever?” Scout wonders.

“Hmm…” Ace thinks to himself, using his detective skills again to figure out how to open a puzzle room such as this.

“There must be something else then…” Joker thinks out loud.

He looks down to see footprints, different from his and everyone else. Strange; he doesn’t see his or everyone else’s footsteps. Does this power only see the Shadows steps? It’s convenient at least; otherwise he would probably get mixed up with all the different footprints.

Joker stares at the ground following the footsteps. Turning the corner, he sees the footprints stop in front of a different goat head statue with the same lever before continuing onward. He hums again and tilts his head.

“Did’ja figure it out, Joker?” Skull comes up to him.

“Only one way to find out.” He says as he walks up to the lever and pulls it down. In an instant the bars lift up.

“Whoa…” Skull stares wide eye at his friend’s deduction skills.

“As expected of you, Joker!” Mona praises him.

“So it was a combination puzzle…” Ace mutters quietly to himself.

Joker turns to the other group. “Hey guys, do you three mind if you stay here? Just in the off chance the bars close down on us and we can’t get out and we need someone to open up for us. If not, at least one of you stays here?”

“Ah, good thinking, Joker.” Mona nods approvingly.

“I can stay here.” Ace volunteers.

“Are you sure, Ace?” Aria looks to him.

“Yes. I know which levers to pull in case you get closed off.”

“Perfect. Let’s go.” Joker nods and takes the lead. Ace looks to the door in case a guard comes through.

In the middle of the caged room, there were two tables right next to each other and a large paper on top of it. Joker takes it in both hands and skims through it. “Hm, it’s a map of the castle. It shows a different part of the castle too. So if we take that door there…” He points to it according to the map. “It should lead us to the next area.”

Skull rubs his neck. “What the hell? He had it all locked up and shit, but it was just some old map…?”

Before Mona can throw a jab at him, Scout chimes in. “Well, a map is pretty vital to get around to places. I should know; I’ve done a lot of traveling on my own.” He shrugs.

“For real!? On your own!?”

“Yeah, I have.” He chuckles lightly. “Maybe I’ll share some of my travel stories with you guys if we meet up again.”

Mona hops on Joker’s shoulders to have a look at the map. “Having this will give us a better grasp of the topography of the Palace. It’s a true necessity for a phantom thief. This should make securing a route much easier.”

“Wait, does it say where the Treasure is on there?” Panther looks over Joker’s shoulder until he decides to flatten it out on the table for everyone to see.

Mona’s ears droop. “Oh… Actually, it seems like this map is incomplete… There might be more of them around.”

“Mkay, let’s start checkin’ what we can. We’ll prolly find another map along the way somewhere.” Skull takes a look at it.

“If we’re lucky enough, maybe the other maps could be all in one room to make things easier for us! And it’ll lead us to the Treasure Mona was talking about.” Aria raises her fists with determination. “We can do this guys!”

“Hell yeah!” Skull grins at her enthusiasm, though still not used to hearing a girl with the same voice as Ann, or rather, closely sounding like her.

“Let’s get going then. Ace needs to see this map too.” Joker rolls up the map and he takes the lead once more.

“How did it go?” Ace inquires.

“We found a map of the castle.” He hands over the rolled paper. “Well, a part of the castle anyway. There’s probably more somewhere. Hopefully we can find them.”

Ace opens up the map for himself and skims through it, understanding the layout of it. After a few seconds, he rolls up the map and hands it back with a smile. “Thank you.”

Joker turns to Scout. “Can you be our map guide, Scout? Since you said you know your way around maps.”

Scout smiles. “Sure thing.” The green haired boy takes the map from him.

“Okay team, let’s keep going.” Joker takes the lead once more.

* * *

They step out of the room and into the upper level of the castle, looking down on the main lobby. There were a few guards, one of them emanating a strong aura but no sign of Shadow Kamoshida.

“This is as far as us three got. We watched you awaken to your Persona from here, Skull.” Ace turned to the zio user.

“Oh, uh…” He sheepishly kicks the dirt. “I-I see… I, uh, caused you guys to stop goin’ further huh?”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s a good thing it happened; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to stop that Shadow from charging at Joker at the time.” Scout puts a hand on the faux blonde’s shoulders. “Don’t beat yourself up over something so little.”

“Yeah, that’s right! Plus it’s awesome that you got a Persona right?” Aria cheers him up as well.

“Heh, yeah, it is pretty kickass to have a power like this.” Skull grins back at them, his usual loud energy coming back.

Joker smiles. Shuichi’s friends are pretty nice, he thought. “Thanks again for saving me, Scout.”

“No worries.”

“You guys, look over there.” Mona points with it’s paw to a set of bars blocking their only way. “Guess you guys wouldn’t have gotten far anyway.”

“There’s no switch or anything to open it either. Kind of weird to have this pathway blocked, don’t you think?” Panther muses.

“Yeah, like, how would the Palace ruler get past here?” The other blonde beauty thought.

Joker examines the bars then the chandeliers. He also notices some wooden beams and his mind immediately thought of an idea. He followed the beam until it hit the wall to his right. Right below it is a bookcase and seeing that made him smirk.

“I have an idea guys.” He walks over to the bookcase and hauls himself up with one hand flawlessly.

“Wha- dude? What’re you doin’?

“Follow my lead. You see those beams? It connects to the chandeliers. We can travel via the chandeliers to the other side.”

“We have to jump to the chandeliers!?” Ace was taken aback.

“S-Seems kind of dangerous…” Aria’s voice wavers.

“We don’t have much of a choice. I don’t see any other way to keep going.” Mona looks to Joker. “You take the lead, Joker.”

He nods. “And be sure to stay quiet while being cautious to not fall off.” Joker gets up further up on the beams to make room for the others to climb up.

“Easy for him to say…” Panther mutters.

“Right? He’s not wearing heels like us.” Kaede raises a brow.

“Now now, ladies. No need to worry. I’ll be sure to save you if you fall off.” Mona nods gleefully. “So, ladies first.”

As Skull rolls his eyes at the kind gesture, the two female blondes make their way up and Mona follows suit. Scout easily got up after the cat, leaving Skull and Ace.”

“You can go first. That way, I can watch the backlines.” Skull turns to him.

He nods and tries to reach the top of the bookcase but to no avail. Shuichi being a few inches shorter compared to the others, he stands on his toes but he still couldn’t touch the top.

“Grk… I can’t reach…”

“Here. Lemme help ya.” Skull crouches down with hands together in front of him. “I’ll boost you up, Ace.”

“Ah, okay.” The undercover detective puts his foot on the yellow gloved hands.

“On the count of three, I’ll push you up.” The other boy nods in confirmation. “One, two, three!”

That did the trick. Ace was able to get up with everyone else. Skull smiles at their teamwork and hoists himself up easily. The group carefully and quietly moved along the beams. Once they were close to a chandelier, they leaped over and it was surprisingly stable. The group didn’t attract any attention from above and they all made it to the other side.

* * *

After finding another safe room, the group continued their way through the castle through winding halls. The wild cards took turns recruiting more Personas into their arsenal. Coming to a large dining area, it was filled with more bars blocking the way. Joker using his Third Eye ability tried to figure out what switch opens a set of bars but none seemed to open the way out. There weren’t any footprints on the floor for him to follow either.

From the backlines, Ace was figuring out which combination opened up the way out, memorizing which ones open up and close whenever Joker pulls a lever. Igor also gifted him with Photographic Memory, which makes it easier to remember what lever opens up a set of bars.

“Man, this is complicated.” Skull rubs the back of his neck.

“Joker, may I?” Ace comes up to him. “I think I know which ones will get us out of here.”

“Go for it.” He lets Ace take the lead.

Everyone watched as Shuichi goes from one lever to another until the set of bars lift up, leaving a desirable pathway for the group to follow.

“Nice job, Ace!” Aria nudges him with her elbow.

“I couldn’t figure it out, so I’m glad you took over.” Joker smiles at him.

“Ah, well, it was nothing.”

Crawling through ventilation shafts, running down hallways, and finding more safe rooms along the way, the group stumbled upon a mini library. There wasn’t much to it other than some chairs, a table, and a bookshelf. Joker, Skull, and Panther searched the bookshelf in case there was a map they need hidden in there. The other three and Mona stood by the door and kept watch for any guards.

“Hm, I don’t see anything that looks like a map.” Panther sighs.

“If it ain’t here, then we gotta keep goin’ the castle.”

Mona waddles up to the leader. “We should get going Joker.” The cat notices the boy looking at a peculiar book. “Are you curious about that book? We can always take it with us if you want!”

Joker takes it and sees the title on the hardcover, making him grimace under his mask. Mona hops on his shoulder to look at it and his ears droop at the title. “The Slave Book, huh…? That sounds kind of important…”

“We should get going guys. I can hear guards coming up on us soon.” Aria turns to them.

* * *

They roamed searched through a few more rooms and came across another bookshelf in one of them. Joker took The Queen Book with him before leaving. The group come across a larger library, books stacked on shelves as far as they could see.

“Whoa, it’s so musty…” Panther grimaces.

“A library, huh? This definitely seems fishy.” Mona looks around.

“Whaddya mean?”

“Come on, it’s a library in a castle. There has to be some kind of secret mechanism in here.”

“I agree. There might be a secret room behind one of the shelves.” Ace inquires.

“That’s right. Looks like you know your stuff, Ace.”

“Well, I’ve just read a few mystery books is all.”

“Since there’s seven of us here, we can cover more ground. Let’s split up and start looking.” Joker ordered.

The group of kids and cat split up to different bookshelves to try and anything suspicious. Aria and Panther were in one corner, Ace and Skull in another corner, Scout and Mona were together, and Joker was alone. The raven haired boy noticed a book on one of the tables and picked it up. It’s titled The King Book and it gave off the same feeling he felt when he saw the other two books.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Skull and Ace searched through bookshelves together but didn’t find anything. As they were looking, Skull notices the title of the books on the shelf they were on. As he read the titles of the books, it made him scowl at how cocky and arrogant the gym teacher viewed himself.

“Tch. That bastard is gonna get what he deserves…” He mutters under his breath.

Ace turns to him with a concerned look. The blonde felt eyes on him and turned to the undercover detective. He sheepishly rubs his neck. “Uh… sorry.”

Ace shakes his head. “You don’t have to be sorry, Skull. Your feelings towards Kamoshida is justified.” He smiles reassuringly at him. “That’s why my friends and I are here to help; to make sure the truth of his crimes come to light.”

The boy was taken aback for a moment at the declaration. He’s only made small talk with Shuichi in school; passed him up as the quiet and reserved kind of guy. This boost of confidence from him came out of nowhere and… it was quite refreshing. Didn’t Mona say something about awakening to your Persona amplifies your rebellion or some shit like that, he thought to himself.

He smiles back. “Heh, yeah. I really appreciate it.” He holds his hand out for a high five and Shuichi reciprocates.

“Ah-! That was… pretty hard.” Shuichi rubs his arm at the recoil.

“Oh shit, sorry.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aria and Panther’s bookshelves were filled with all the female students who he deemed ‘sexy’ and ‘worthy’ to him. Panther found a book in regards to her and Shiho, making her fuming internally. She wanted to burn down this library and castle until ashes remained.

“He’ll pay for what he did to Shiho…” She muttered.

Aria heard her and remembered their conversation in one of the safe rooms that that Shiho was the girl who jumped off the roof that Ann told her about. Her hands trembled at the thought that Panther’s friend tried to… end her life because of the things this PE teacher did. She breathed out through her nose to calm herself.

“Panther?”

The other blonde looked to her, breaking her out of her thoughts. “Yeah?”

“I know that… I can never know or imagine what she or you felt…” She looks to her with determination. “But… I’m with you to put a stop to what he’s doing. We’ll help take him down so you, all the other girls, and everyone else can be safe.”

Panther can see the fire behind Aria’s purple eyes. If she didn’t know any better, she could be an Agi user like her. She smiles back to the other blonde. “Yeah, that’s right. We’ll show him not to mess with us girls.”

They giggled and continued searching.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Scout and Mona couldn’t find anything suspicious in their bookshelves so they moved to Joker’s side to help him. Joker nodded to them as thanks for their assistance. The bookshelves they were in were filled with students from the volleyball club, depicting on how worthless and lacking they are in their skills.

If any of them were slacking or their performance in practice was not up to the king’s standard, he would punish them by physically harming them. This left an undesirable taste in the two boys and cat’s mouth. Akira remembers seeing some of the students with bandages on their limbs and faces back at Shujin. Some had visible bruises and made cover ups for it saying it was from an accident in practice. He remembers Mishima with a few scratches and getting hit with the volleyball during the rally.

He definitely remembers Ryuji telling him how the scumbag broke his leg and made it seem as an act of self defense that got him off scot free, while Ryuji had his scholarship and social life ripped away from him. Joker found a book specifically just for Ryuji and it had nothing but negative things written on it about the blonde. His crimson hands clenched and trembled, restraining himself from doing something violent.

Breathing out shakily through his nose, he continued looking for anything suspicious on the shelves. He was about to stop when he noticed a space for a book to fit in. In that space, there seems to be a small border on the bottom and top shelf.

“Mona, Scout, I found something.”

The green haired boy and cat came over and stooped down. “What is it, Joker?” Mona asked.

“Does this look weird to you? You can see a tiny border here.”

“That does seem fishy. If I had to guess, a specific book fits in that space.”

“But what specific book?” Scout asked. “There’s a lot of books here and who knows if we missed some along the way.”

“Yo, what’re you guys doin’?” The trio looked behind them to see Ace, Skull, Aria, and Panther coming up to them. “You find somethin’?”

“There’s some weird border on this space here.” Scout points to it and the rest crouched to have a look. “Mona thinks a specific book goes here.”

“Oh! Panther and I saw something like that on our bookshelf.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It was in the shelf where… all the girls are sexualized.” That sent a shiver down everyone’s back.

“We saw something like this in one of our shelves too. Right, Skull?”

“Yup. Over there by shelf full of the asshole’s achievements.”

The ironworks inside Joker’s brain started speeding up. If the bookshelves have themes to them, then…

“Show me where you found them. I think I have an idea.”

The blonde girls lead Joker to their bookshelf. Panther said that these books were all the girls in Shujin. He inserts the Queen book in the slotted area and clunking sound was heard behind the shelf. Skull lead him to the other indent, where it was nothing but Kamoshida’s accomplishments. He quickly skimmed through the first few pages of the King book and it confirmed his suspicion.

After sliding the King book in the indent, another clunking sound was made. He went back to his section where it was the volleyball team being mistreated. The last book he held, the Slave book, has nothing but Ryuji being slandered in it. Another sound was made when he slid the book in. Soon enough, one of the bookcases recedes into the wall that reveals a hidden room.

“Whoa, it opened up!?” Skull widens his eyes.

“So there was a secret room.” Ace mutters.

“I knew there would be something like this here. Great job in figuring it out Joker.” Mona nods. “Those books really came in handy.”

They walked into the hidden room. It was only lit with two torches and candles on the floor. In the center of the candles was a cross looking stand, giving it some kind of creepy ceremonial vibe. On the wall was a large portrait of Kamoshida and litters of smaller pictures of Ann’s best friend Shiho.

“The hell is this room!? There’re tons of pictures of Suzui in here!” Ryuji clenched his fists, anger building up.

Aria and Joker look over to Panther who was shaking at the vile sight of this room. She felt sick and horrible that she felt responsible for Shiho’s condition. Deciding to give them some space, Scout, Ace, and Aria stepped into the library again, just so they can also keep watch of any guards that may enter.

“Shiho…”

Joker’s eyes softened for her for a moment, until he gave her a steel look of determination. “We’ll make him pay. Not just for this, but everything and everyone he did wrong.”

His voice grounded her and she let out a sigh. “Yeah… definitely. I feel even more motivated to do this now…”

Back in the library, the trio waited for the Shujin teens to finish what they had to do. There was tense silence as they waited. Aria tapped into her power to hear if there were any guards nearby and there weren’t any, luckily. Scout decided to break the silence by whispering to Ace.

“Ace?”

He turns to him. “Yes?”

“Do you know… who that girl was in the pictures?”

“She…” He paused for a second. “She was the one who… jumped off the school roof.”

Rantaro hums. He remembers the text conversation Shuichi told them about Suzui and it sent a chill down his spine. Shuichi told them that he didn’t actually see Suzui jump, but the aftermath of it. Would that have scarred Shuichi if he saw it happen? Is he doing okay after the event?

Thinking that set off Rantaro’s ‘older brother instincts’. What if one of his sisters was going through something right now? Were any of his sisters being kept quiet about being sexually harassed? Was his youngest sister being taken advent-

He shook his head from the thoughts. No, he knew his youngest sister was fine. She has to be. She might be far away from him, but he knows she’s okay. Somewhere out there in the world.

The trio look up to see Mona and the others stepping out of the room. “Hey, sorry for makin’ ya wait.” Skull said.

“We found the key to open the locked gate and another map.” Joker came up to Scout and handed him a new map.

“Before we go…” Panther spoke up. “Can we head back to the safe room? I just… need a breather.”

They all looked at her with concern but they understood why. To be honest, they all could use a break from looking at the things in the library and seeing the hidden room. The safe room was on the same floor and just around the corner so the short walk was quiet. No one said anything as they entered and went to different parts of the room.

Ann sat by herself in the corner hugging her knees and hiding her face. Ryuji took the opposite corner and rested his forehead on his arm, tapping his foot as his leg was acting up. Kaede and Morgana sat at the couch closest to Ann to keep an eye on her. Akira sat at the couch closest to Ryuji to collect his thoughts and make sure the faux blonde is okay. Rantaro and Shuichi looked at the new map at the meeting table to see what they were going into after. After a few minutes of looking it over, Rantaro deduced that they were halfway to the Treasure. The two leaned back on their chairs and sighed.

Thinking this was a good time, Rantaro leaned back over the table and pushed up his mask. “Shuichi?” He mumbled.

The novice detective looked to him and leaned over as he pushed his mask up as well. “What is it?”

“Are you doing okay?”

Shuichi didn’t expect that. “Ah… yeah. I’m doing okay. Why do you ask?”

Rantaro looks down for a moment and looks back up. “Just wanted to make sure. Because… I wanna make sure nothing’s eating you up on the inside, you know?”

Shuichi tilts his head a bit. “What do you mean?”

“Well… you had a classmate almost take her life a few days ago. I can imagine that might… shake you up a bit. Not just that either; we’ve seen a couple of… disturbing things in this place.” He rubs the back of his neck. “So… just wanted to check up on you.”

Shuichi took a second to process what he said. He was looking out for him. It’s… really nice of him. Granted, being a detective, he’s seen a few things that are a bit more… extreme to what they’re going through, but that didn’t make this okay in the slightest.

“I’m… doing okay.” He nods and smiles. “Thanks for asking.”

He nods and smiles as well. “Of course. You’re my friend after all.”

A friend. Rantaro consider me his friend. The green haired boy was still a mystery to him. He’ll have to spend some time to get to know him better more even though they’ve been seeing each other for a month when they check out Mementos. Once this is over, maybe he can go around Shibuya with him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Joker can hear the soft tapping of Skull’s foot on the floor. He glances back at the zio user every now and then when he can hear him taking deep breathes, probably to calm him down. He can hear him curse under his breath too. Joker gets up and places a hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

Skull straightens up and turns to him with his mask pushed up. There was a trace of a scowl but it softened seeing Joker.

Akira pushes up his mask revealing grey eyes. “You wanna… talk about it? Get something off your chest?”

Ryuji looked away for a second. “It’s just… I really can’t wait to take down that shitbag. Not just for what he did to me, but to Suzui, Takamaki, and the rest he’s ruined.” He looks back to Akira. “And to you too, Akira.”

He felt his heart swell that Ryuji cared for him too. He smiles softly and nods. “Yeah. We’ll do this together.” Ryuji smiles back albeit a small smile. “I want you to know as well Ryuji, that you didn’t deserve to be treated that way by Kamoshida. And you sure as hell don’t deserve the treatment the school shows you.”

Ryuji blinked at him, not expecting the kind words from his friend. “I don’t think I’ve said that before so, I wanted to say that to you now.” He patted his shoulder. “You’re valued, and you matter.”

The blonde rubs the back of his neck. “Th-Thanks, man. I really… appreciate that.”

“C’mon. Sit down and rest.” The boys sit back down on the couch.

Ryuji rested his head back on the couch and closed his eyes while Akira lowered his head with crossed arms. Morgana said that they were halfway to the Treasure, so they’ll take the time to rest up before continuing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mona and Aria glanced over to Panther when they heard a light sniffle from her. Kaede may not know the whole story but she feels bad for the other blonde girl. Mona’s ears drooped seeing Panther so sad.

“I feel really bad for her.” The cat said. “A pretty lady like her shouldn’t look so sad like that.”

Kaede looked at the cat then back to Ann. She really is pretty, she thought. Thinking she should do something, she quietly gets up from the couch and makes her way to Ann, Morgana looking questioningly at her. She folds her purple dress as she sits next to her on the ground.

“Hey.”

Ann turns her head slightly to her. Her mask was pushed up her face and Kaede can see a small shine to her blue eyes indicating that she was crying quietly. “… hey.” She says weakly.

Aria lifts her mask above her face as well, revealing purple eyes, and gives her a soft smile. “Um… I know that we just met and we’ve only talked a few times… and this might be weird coming from a stranger, but…” She fiddles with the big purple bow on her chest for a second before looking back at her. “I want you to know that… I’m here if you need a shoulder to cry on. You don’t even have to tell me anything. If you just wanna cry, then I can lend a shoulder for you.”

Ann’s eyes widen a bit. It’s true; she still doesn’t know much about Kaede other than she’s a piano player that’s won some competition. But… it’s comforting to know that someone cares about her. She can see in Kaede’s eyes that she means it. No sign of malice of faking it.

The red clad blonde unfolds and slowly sits back against the wall. “Thanks… Kaede.” She turns and smiles back. “I… I’d like to get to know you more… when this is over.”

With a nod from the blonde in purple, Ann carefully rested her head on Kaede’s shoulder and slowly let her tears roll from the corners of her eyes. They sat in silence for a while until Morgana waddles up to them.

“Are you doing all right ladies?” He said calmly. They both nod as Ann wipes away a few tears. “We’re halfway to the Treasure. Once we steal, Kamoshida will get what he deserves and we can rest easy.”

They both gave Mona small smiles. Ann reaches out and pets his head, earning a soft purring and making Kaede giggle.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
After a few minutes, Akira called everyone to the meeting table. Kaede helped Ann to her feet and made their way over. “How’s everyone feeling? I can tell we really needed this break.” He was answered with hums, nods, and a thumbs up from Ryuji. “Okay. So, Mona, you told us that we should probably be halfway to the Treasure, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“I can agree to that.” Rantaro chimed in. “I looked over the map and can conclude that we have a few more places to go before reaching the Treasure.”

“Then, we’re gonna keep going until we reach it. Or at least, until some of us are tired.”

“To be honest, I’d rather get to the Treasure now than go another day of this place.” Ann said.

“Ditto.” Ryuji agreed.

“Ace, Aria, Scout, Mona?”

“Mm! I agree with Lady Ann.”

The trio looked at each other and nodded. “We all agree to do this today.” Kaede answered for their group.

Joker smiled. “Ok then. We’ll be sure to take breaks if we come across any safe rooms. Let’s try not to overwork ourselves if we can. Let’s move out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Again, Palace exploring can be tough to make interesting so I hope you liked it! If not, that's okay too! I'll just keep trying to make it interesting! Next chapter will be up in a few days, hopefully faster than this update.
> 
> Leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed!


	10. Securing The Route

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter y'all! Sorry for the wait! Now that boring Palace adventuring is done, I can get back to the more interesting parts of the story.
> 
> Sorry for the abrupt ending. This chapter is also somewhat short as I wanted to end it there and start fresh on a new day that isn't Palace adventuring.

After taking a deserved break in the safe room, the group continued their way through the castle. The Treasure looked like it was inside a tower so following the new map they obtained should help them find their way to said tower. Using the medallion they found with the map, the closed off door opened up for them.

Climbing down the stairs and finding another safe room to warp into later, they entered another set of doors. They found themselves in a big empty room that looks like a chapel. The placed morphed into what looked like the Shujin gymnasium for a moment before morphing back. Seeing a sculpted statue of Kamoshida brought the Shujin blondes look at it with distaste, only to be ambushed by one of the generals lying in wait for them.

The general proved to be tough but against seven Persona users, it stood no chance. With Mona and Aria healing the team, they continued their journey. Running up a spiral staircase, the group appears to have reached the rooftop area. A full moon wanes in the eerie red sky and the group spots a tower in their vicinity.

“That tower matches up with the map.” Scout looks between the map and the tower.

“Then there’s no doubt that’s the tower we’re headed for.” Mona’s eyes gleam at the top of the tower.

“So the Treasure’s up there!” Panther says with joy.

“Hell yeah, we did it! So… where’s the entrance?” Skull looks around.

“Up ahead over there.” Joker points and the group sees it across the way. Just then, more guards materialized from the ground and start patrolling the area.

“Ugh, not again…” Skull makes an annoyed face.

“It’s no surprise that security would be tight around here.” Mona flicks its tail.

“There are a lot of them though. And I can kind of sense that they’re pretty strong.” Ace adds in.

“I think we just have to do what we always do. We take them down one at a time and alternate group fights so we won’t tire ourselves out.” Kaede pumps her fists again. “We support each other when the other team is struggling as well.”

They nodded in agreement and proceeded to do just that. At one point in one of the battles, Aria and Ace combined a Kouha and Eiha together, dark and light intertwining together as it came down on a tough shadow, delivering a fatal blow. It was flashy, stylish, and deadly. Everyone watched it with awe and amusement.

In another battle, Panther joined in on the second group and combined an Agi with Kouha. A bright fireball equivalent to a shooting star laying waste on the poor shadows. Joker combined with Skull showing off dark purple zio lightning strikes. Mona and Scout shredded one of the guards with a combined garu, a mini tornado violently spun the shadows either ripping them or leaving them dazed if they survived.

Everyone was overjoyed at the newfound battle technique they discovered but they can feel that they get physically tired if they do it consistently. Deciding to use it only in dire situations or if other attacks aren’t doing enough damage, they reached the door only finding it to be locked.

Looking for another way in, Joker can see a window at the top of the tower that isn’t closed off. His eyes wander around and he notices a way in to said window. It’s a perilous trek up to the window, but danger stirs something inside the wild card and made him smirk.

He hoists himself up near a bunch of crates and tells the group that they’ll head into the window at the tower. There were a few doubts from the group but after seeing no other way to get in, they reluctantly followed him along the castle walls. Mona explained that because they’re in the cognitive world, some laws of physics can be defied in a way such as they can jump over the gaps of the castle ridges or being able to jump and reach something, as long as they think they can make it with and exert enough momentum. Aria nearly lost her footing due to her wearing heels but Scout was able to stable her just in time. Scaling the castle tower was just as dangerous but they luckily made it to the window without any mishaps.

Once they were all in, they stepped through the only door available and come across a strange room. There were gaps all over the tiled marble floor and everything glowed an eerie purple.

“W-What’s going on!?” Panther looks around astonished.

“The distortion is getting stronger… the Treasure has got to be nearby!” Mona’s ears twitched.

As they walked forward, some of the flooring would rise, causing a few to jump back in surprise. They continued searching when they find a strange corner of a room with statues of female bodies in red underwear and a white crop top.

“Ugh, that’s just… really distasteful.” Aria grimaces.

“I’m with you. I feel sick looking at this…” Panther does the same.

“What even is this? It’s just in the corner of the room.” Scout crosses his arms.

“I think it’s some kind of elevator.” Ace deduces and points to the floor. “You see the little gap on the floor here? It goes in a square shape and if my theory is correct, that handle in the center there should move this to a lower area of the castle.”

“Perceptive, Ace!” Mona nods to him.

“How the hell did you come up with that?” Skull looks at him with wide eyes.

“Ah, well, it’s just… a wild guess?” He chuckles nervously, careful to not let his classmates know that he’s an undercover detective.

“Well, only one way to find out. Let’s hop on aboard.” Joker takes the lead once more and pushes down the lever once everyone was on board. They heard a few gears turning somewhere and the floor descended, just as Ace theorized.

“Huh. It is an elevator.” Scout said.

“Nice going, Ace.” Aria pats him on the shoulder, earning a blush from the detective.

“Mhmm! You’d make a fine phantom thief.”

They descended further down with no lights. They made hushed small talk with one another until a bit of light made them see again. The elevator reached their destination and stopped. They took cautious steps as they stepped off the elevator. They walked ahead to see a giant painting of Kamoshida.

“What the heck…? This is disgusting…” Panther grimaces.

“Either way… it’s kind of strange that this would be our dead end.” Mona looks at it with suspicion.

Joker using his Third Eye sees that there’s no wall behind the painting. He gives the painting a decent shove and it creeks open slightly.

“Whoa! The hell?” Ryuji takes a step back.

“There’s no wall behind it. It’s some kind of secret entry. C’mon guys.”

Coming out of the revolving painting, they stumbled back into the main lobby of the castle. They look around to see that it is still empty. Aria used her hearing power and didn’t hear any guards nearby.

“Huh? This place looks familiar…” Skull said.

“It’s the entrance hall! Have you already forgotten!?” Mona shoots a skeptic look at him.

“Oh yeah, it is.” Scout dusts himself off as he looks around.

“I didn’t realize we would end up here…” Ann dusts herself of as well.

“Hey, look! There used to be tons of soldiers wanderin’ around, but I don’t see any of ‘em now…”

“No sign of guards nearby either.” Kaede opens her eyes and turns back to the painting. “Still, pretty crafty to have a secret passageway behind this painting.”

“There’s nothing for us to do here. We should head back and explore that area where it’s all distorted.” Joker said.

Leaping through the painting, the group took the elevator back up and continued their search.

* * *

Sneaking through and fighting battles that had to be done, the group can feel the exhaustion slowly catching up. A few more minutes in the safe room proved to have helped but they’ll have to be careful to not overexert themselves.

Akira, Ryuji and Kaede were at the meeting table getting to know each other more, Ann and Rantaro were doing the same but Ann adding in how he would fit to be a model as he has the looks for it (which flattered the green haired boy and made him flush), and Shuichi was trying to get more info about the cognitive world from Morgana while getting to know the cat-not-cat.

“Really wish there was a piano here. I could lift everyone’s spirits with a classical piece.” Kaede muses.

“Oh yeah, now that I think about it, my ma’ read somethin’ in the news about you winnin’ some music competition.”

“Yeah, I’ve won a few competitions.” She sheepishly scratches her face. “How about you guys? Do you play any instruments?”

“Well, I took up guitar lessons when I was a kid.” Joker adds in.

“For real? That’s pretty sick.”

“But my parents dropped me out guitar lessons so I could focus on my studies.”

“That’s too bad. I’m sure if you pick it up again, you’d learn pretty quick.” Aria nods.

“Maybe.” He shrugs

“How about you, Skull?”

“Nah. I like listenin’ to music though.” Skull thinks for a second. “But, if I had the chance to learn an instrument, maybe electric guitar. Or saxophone.”

**> <><><><><><><><>< **

“I’m telling you Scout; you could totally pass off as the next male model.” Panther smiles at him. “You have the looks, the attitude, and the fashion sense for it. Just hit me up and I’ll let my manager know about you.”

“N-No, I couldn’t possibly fit as a model.” He rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Especially since I’m occupied doing things for my family’s business.”

**> <><><><><><><><><**

“I must say Ace, you’re quite the studious one.” Mona looks at him with interest. “I’m sorry I can’t give much more than that.”

“That’s quite all right. No need to apologize.” He smiles softly.

**> <><><><><><><><><**

Once they felt rested and rejuvenated, they headed out of the safe room. They climbed the stairs that materialized once they got close to it and stumbled across another one of Kamoshida’s statues. Skull looked at it with disdain, ready bash it in with his pipe. But given how a lot of the statues have some sort of mechanism or switch to it, he held back.

“Seein’ this face pisses me off every goddamn time…”

“Easy, Skull.” Joker places a hand on his shoulder and the blonde boy relaxed slightly.

“It’s got no eyes. It’s freaking me out a bit…” Aria stares at it warily.

“Hmm… this statue…” Mona tilts its head contemplatively. “No, it might be dangerous to tamper with it. Let’s keep going for now.”

Just next to the statue was a metal mesh bridge being held up by chains. Ace eyes it in suspicion for a moment. He looks up to the ceiling and his eyes widen. When Joker takes a step forward-

“Joker!!!”

Ace pulls him back by his arm. Joker’s eyes widen in surprise at the sudden tug and when a giant blade swings in front of him, nearly slicing him. Skull steadies him on his feet before he falls on his back.

“Holy shit… Joker, you okay!?”

“Y-Yeah… I think so.” Skull checks him for any gashes or blood leaking out.

“That was close! Wait… what is this?” Panther steps back.

“It’s a classic security measure. My tail might be in danger if we try to force our way through…”

“What should we do? No way are we getting past those unscathed.” Scout crosses his arms.

“I didn’t see a button or lever to stop these things either…” Aria looks around once more.

Skull turns back to the statue and eyes it. Joker dusts himself off and quietly thanks Ace for saving his life. The undercover detective smiles back and nods.

“Yo, you think this controls those swinging things!?”

Joker pulled down the jaw of the statue as he normally would in all the previous ones, but to no reaction. “Hm… we might be missing something for this. Possibly a key.”

“We gotta look for a key again? What a pain in the ass…” Skull sighs lightly.

“Where would it be though? There weren’t any suspicious rooms on the way here.” Panther says.

“If that’s the case, my best guess would be that an enemy has it.” Joker turns to them. “So we’re gonna have to head back down and do some fighting.”

“An enemy? Y’mean one of them shadows that’s roamin’ around?”

“Well, we did sneak by a couple of the guards.” Aria nods. “They’re probably still walking around where we left them.”

“We snuck past a couple of ‘em though. I don’t remember how many, but it was a decent amount. We can’t beat the crap outta all of ‘em!”

“The key is for this tower, so it would have to be one of the shadows around here. On top of that, it would have to be a relatively high-ranking one.” Mona adds on.

“Then we just need to look for shadows like that and defeat them!” Panther twirls her pigtail.

“Should we split up to cover more ground then?” Scout suggests. “Myself, Ace, and Aria can handle our own against the guards so it shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Are you sure, Scout? Three of you against a high-ranking shadow is dangerous.” He turns to Aria and Ace. “Even if you have two Persona users who can wield multiple of them, it’s best to not let your guard down during a fight.”

“No worries Mona!” Kaede snaps open her fan dagger and fans herself with confidence. The boys stare at how dangerous she could accidentally stab herself by doing that while Panther doesn’t seem fazed by it. “You’ve seen us fight, and we’ll be sure to have each other’s back.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.” Ace nods but still warily keeps an eye for his teammate accidentally hurting herself.

“Ok then. You guys are gonna have to sneak past the guards downstairs so you can head to the next room. We’ll take care of the ones below us.” Joker decided.

“And if you guys need help, don’t hesitate to come back to us.” Panther adds in.

The group went their separate ways. Joker’s group had a relatively easier time finding which Shadow to attack, as it had gold armor compared to the others. Aria’s group had a bit more trouble as there were three Shadows in gold armor, making it difficult to figure out which one has the key. They got lucky as the one closest to them had the key.

Both groups received heavy damage but were able to pull through with Mona and Aria’s respective healing skills. Both groups picked up some kind of gem that looks like an eyeball, earning a disgusted look from the three blonde Persona users. Aria’s group met back with the others at the swinging blades

“Are you guys okay?” Skull asked them.

“Yes. We also found this gem from the guard.” Ace fishes it out of his pocket.

“So did we.” Joker takes out another gem.

“Aria, you stated earlier that this statue didn’t have any eyes right?” Mona turns to the purple dressed girl.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Do you think these are the keys to activate the switch?” Ace asked.

“It’s the most likely possibility. C’mon Ace.” Joker ushered him to insert the gem in the statue.

Once the gems were in the sockets, Joker pulled down the jaw again. The swinging blades slowed down and stopped completely. Ryuji pumped a fist and the group moved on ahead.

Progressing forward to the next area, there were no stairs to be seen to head up to the upper levels. Deciding to split up and search for stairs that might materialize when you’re close to it, the Persona users walked around the area. After a few minutes of walking, there were still no signs of stairs appearing.

But a Shadow materialized in front of Aria, causing her to scream and tumble backwards. Ace, Scout, and Panther come to her aid. The guard dispersed into a very phallic looking monster, making everyone grimace at it, especially the two blonde girls. It constantly went after either Ann or Kaede, which they did not appreciate one bit.

“Ah! Don’t touch me!” Panther kept it away with her whip

“I-I’m not afraid to stab you! Back off!” Aria readied her fans.

Unfortunately for the girls, they had to distract the Shadow as the boys and Mona dwindled down it’s energy. Luckily the girls didn’t suffer too much damage. Once the Shadow was defeated, stairs materialized nearby that lead up to the next level.

“All right! We can keep movin’ now!” Skull said.

“I-I’m so done with this place…” Panther shivered.

“I think I need a shower after getting touched by that…” Aria rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps.

“Hang in there, ladies. We’re almost at the Treasure.” Mona looked at them with reassurance.

* * *

They ran up the stairs and stumbled upon a grand double door with two statues to the side of it. Mona sensed another safe room so they headed there first to rest up and make note to come back here. Feeling refreshed, they headed back out to the double door only finding out that it’s locked as Joker tried turning the knob.

“Figures that it’s locked, huh?” Panther shuffles on her feet.

“What is this door anyways? It’s pretty freakin’ huge…” Skull stares at the top of the door frame.

“The Treasure is most likely ahead… We’re almost there.” Mona said.

“Mona’s right. According to the map…” Scout unfolds the paper. “It should be at the furthest part of the inside of this room.”

“How are we gonna get in though?” Aria muses.

Joker look above to see there are two entryways at the top of the statue. At the base of the statue, there’s a few barrels and crates stacked on one another. Ace comes up to him.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Joker?”

Joker turns to him then to the other statue, seeing that there are also crates and barrels at the base of that one. He smirks and turns back to him. “We climb the statues to the entryways.” Earning a nod and smile from Ace.

Joker’s team took the left statue and Ace’s group the other. Aria volunteered to go up first and surprisingly with ease. She looks through the entryway to see nothing but red carpet.

“See anything Aria?” Scout asks above whisper.

She looks down to them to reply, “Coast is clear.”

The green haired boy went next and Shuichi was last while Ryuji was last on the other group. Once all members were at the top of the statues, they went through the window. Landing on plush red carpet, Aria realized something.

“Oh… did you guys… see up my dress when I was climbing?”

Rantaro looked to her. “Didn’t see anything.”

Shuichi flushed. “Ah, sorry.”

So Shuichi saw, huh? She thought. Well, it’s not like he can’t _unsee_ it now. “D-Don’t worry about it.” She turns away with a small pink tint behind her mask

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

“OK! We’re in!” Skull said.

“Quiet down, you idiot!” Mona scowls and gets an annoyed look from the male blonde.

The cat-not-cat gestures to the lower level and sees guards lined up outside of the red carpet. In the throne stands Shadow Kamoshida with an annoyed expression. Ace’s group also sees what’s happening on their side.

“Oh shit, it’s Kamoshida…!”

“And a ton of soldiers…” The two blondes whisper.

“How have you not captured the intruders yet!?” The king’s voice echoes the throne room, vaguely waves an arm at the soldiers.

_‘I apologize, my liege!’_

“I bet he’d never imagine we’re in the same room as him. Come on, let’s keep moving…” Mona waves it’s paw and catches the other group’s attention, signalling them to keep moving. They nod and both groups crawl quietly in the second level.

The two groups meet up as the second level connects to one another. Behind the throne room is a giant door. All of them discreetly and quietly enter it without a hint of suspicion. Behind the door was another set of grand double doors.

“Whoa… this sturdy-lookin’ door’s pretty promisin’. Let’s head inside!”

With a nod, Joker pushes it open and it reveals gold coins piled up on the floor and in overflowing barrels. Glint shines everywhere and for a moment, the group was amazed at the wealth. They walked ahead and stepped on a few coins.

“This should be the place. This is the room where the Treasure is.” Scout unfolds the map and rechecks it.

“Should we start digging through the pile of coins?” Aria suggests.

“That’d take forever to do though. We can’t risk being in here too long…” Ace thinks of a solution.

“Hey, what is this?” Their attention turns to Panther. The Shujin students and Mona walked ahead of them towards… something. “It’s… floating in the air.”

They catch up to them and Mona hops on top of something snickering to himself. “That’s the Treasure! We finally found it!”

“That… cloudy thing? Are you sure?” Joker raises a brow under his mask.

“His… Treasure is an egg yolk?” Aria chimes in, earning a giggle from Panther.

“Ah, I think we should let Mona explain.” Shuichi warily looks at Kaede at her conclusion.

“Just hold on a second. I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far. Simply finding the Treasure isn’t enough. We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.”

Everyone stared in confusion and in silence at it’s explanation, Mona oblivious to it or choosing to ignore it.

“Whaddya mean…?” Skull breaks the silence.

“Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we’ll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure. Once they’re conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself.”

“So… how do we do that?” Panther flips her pigtail behind her.

“We warn them. Tell them, ‘We’re going to steal your heart’.”

“I see. You mean like a calling card.” Ace chimes in. “Most well-known thieves tend to leave a calling card to let the person know that they’ve been robbed.”

“So we’re gonna send a calling card!? That’s totally what a phantom thief would do!” Ryuji grins at the thought.

“Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain!” Mona blinks for a second. “I think.”

“You think?” Scout chuckles at the not-cat.

“That again…?” Skull sighs. “Either way, sounds like it’s worth givin’ it a shot!”

“Our infiltration route is secure. All that’s left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!”

“This is it, huh?” Panther shifts her weight among the coins on the ground.

Joker nods. “We’ll win this and put an end to his ways.”

“That’s right. We can’t let someone like him ruin the lives of other people.” Aria crosses her arms.

“That’s the spirit! Once we send the calling card, there will be no turning back.”

“I’ll let you guys know when we’ll send the calling card.” Joker turns to Shuichi’s group. “That includes you guys. We’ll exchange chat IDs. That way you won’t have to rely too much on Ace relaying messages to you.”

They nodded and headed out of the room quietly again. They reached the safe room and teleported back to the front of the castle. The group stepped back into the real world, seeing that there was still some sun out. Kaede and Rantaro exchanged numbers with the other Shujin students and everyone left for the day and said their goodbyes.

* * *

When Akira returned to LeBlanc, Sojiro advised him to keep his grades up if he wanted to prove to him that he’s turning a new leaf. He also mentioned that he can clear out any junk that’s in the attic Akira’s occupying. The glasses boy nodded and felt his phone vibrate. He sees a new chat group of him, Ryuji, and Ann. No Kaede, Rantaro, or Shuichi in the group list.

 **[Ryuji]** : You back home yet? I’m pooped…

 **[Akira]** : Yeah. I’m beat. Maybe doing that in a day isn’t the best idea.

 **[Ryuji]** : It hit me like a goddamn ton of bricks right when I sat down…

 **[Ann]** : Well, I guess we did walk pretty far in.

 **[Ann]** : I’m glad we found that Treasure thing though.

 **[Ryuji]** : So Kamoshida’ll turn into a good guy if we steal that, huh…

 **[Ryuji]** : Either way, it’s up to you when we send the card, Akira.

 **[Ann]** : Call us over to the hideout when you’re ready.

 **[Ryuji]** : I’ll let Shuichi know as well.

 **[Akira]** : You got it *thumbs up emoji*

 **[Akira]** : Great job today guys

 **[Akira]** : Oh by the way, how do you guys feel about Shuichi’s friends?

 **[Ann]** : I like them! Kaede is so friendly and Rantaro is super chill.

 **[Ryuji]** : Yeah! When this is over, we oughtta celebrate with them!

Akira smiled and went up to rest in his room as they continued their conversation. He couldn’t wait to lie down on his bed honestly. As he checked his previous messages, he figures that he’s going to have a lot of chats open in the near future with different people.

* * *

As Kaede headed to bed after her shower, she felt very accomplished today. She met Shuichi’s classmates, they met the other wild card user, they secured a route to the Treasure, and she became friends with Ann (she finished texting her after dinner). She brings up her chat with just Rantaro and Shuichi.

 **[Kaede]** : Today was tiring but accomplishing

 **[Shuichi]** : I agree. My arm is gonna be a bit sore tomorrow.

 **[Rantaro]** : Your classmates are pretty great Shuichi :)

 **[Kaede]** : Yeah totally! Ann and I just finished texting with each other.

 **[Kaede]** : Ryuji’s a funny guy under that tough guy exterior

 **[Kaede]** : Morgana is so sweet too

 **[Shuichi]** : That’s good to hear. I’m glad everyone is getting along.

 **[Rantaro]** : I didn’t really get the chance to talk to Akira or Ryuji :(

 **[Kaede]** : I’m sure we can schedule a group hangout once this is over

The trio continued to talk until Kaede felt sleep starting to take over her body. The last thing that she thought of before going to sleep was a team name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In P5 Royal, there's Showtime attacks. I wanted to put my own spin into it and have characters mix their elemental attacks together. Combinations for days!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Leave a kudos and comment if you did!


	11. King With No Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. This chapter was super late. Super sorry about that y'all.
> 
> Kind of lost a bit of motivation writing this out and had a hard time thinking of how to make this fight work with a big group of people. This chapter was supposed to go up sooner but the Pegoryu Week happened and I wanted to try my hand in that, which I did. Then I lost motivation writing out this fic but I got it back. So, here we are.
> 
> Sorry for the wait again!

The next day, Akira had called the Shujin group to the rooftop to discuss the calling card. He didn’t want to waste any time on this and he’d rather not want to put it off for too long until it was too late. Akira and Ann (with Morgana in tow) headed to the roof with Ryuji and Shuichi following a few minutes later to avoid suspicion. Truth be told the teens are a little sore from yesterday’s castle traversing (including Kaede and Rantaro) but sending out the calling card was what they were more concerned with.

“Couldn’t we have just sent a callin’ card at the beginnin’ of all this…?” Ryuji complained.

“It’s not that simple.” Morgana shakes its head. “A Treasure won’t stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear.”

“I see. The receiver of the card will think it’s some kind of prank if we don’t steal it on the same day.” Shuichi nods understandingly.

“How long does the Treasure stay materialized Morgana?” Akira asks.

“I think it’ll last around a day, at most.”

“The hell…? That’s like no time at all…” Ryuji muttered. “Anyway, we can send a callin’ card right now, yeah? Let’s do it and steal that bastard’s heart!”

Akira nodded. “Right. It’s best to get this done now rather than put it off until it’s too late. Let’s send the calling card.”

“I’ve been waitin’ to hear ya say that!” Ryuji grinned.

“So we send the calling card in the morning… and carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?” Ann recaps.

“Correct. The effect won’t last that long. Are you worried, Lady Ann?”

She shakes her head. “I’ve waited too long.” A look of determination plasters on to her face. “We’re going to pull this off, no matter what!”

“So, who’s going to write the card?” The cat looks to the four of them.

“Leave it to me!” Ryuji puffs out his chest.

“Why?” The model raises her brow.

Ryuji scowls. “Why…? Why wouldn’t it be me!?”

“This is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?” Morgana agreed with Ann’s doubt.

“I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it… c’mon please?” He turns to Akira.

Akira has no idea what to expect when it comes to Ryuji making the calling card but he doesn’t oppose to him doing it. Before he can answer, Morgana chimes in.

“What about Shuichi? Do you want to make the card?”

“W-What…?” All eyes are on him now and he feels a little nervous now.

“Why him?” Ryuji furrows his short brows.

“He’s still a part of the group, you know? We can’t just single him out.” Ann said.

“Ah, umm…” Shuichi’s face flushed slightly at all the eyes on him. “I don’t think I should do it…”

“How come? You seem more eloquent with your words.” The cat flicked its tail.

“Well… I just don’t think it would make too much of an impression if I wrote it.” Shuichi shuffled awkwardly. “I think either Ryuji, Ann, or Akira should write it since… well, you’ve all had bad experiences with Mr. Kamoshida. Since Kaede and Rantaro aren’t here, they can’t exactly accept making the card either.”

Akira nods understandingly. “Fair enough. I think either Ryuji or Ann should write it.”

“You’re not gonna do it, Akira?” Morgana looks up to him.

“These two have had it the worse compared to me. All he did was let my record out to the school. Which still sucks, don’t get me wrong. But compared to what Ryuji and Ann went through, I pale in comparison.”

Ryuji frowned at that. “Hey man, you don’t gotta compare our problems. You can write it, if ya want.”

Akira smiles and shakes his head. “No, it’s all right. Ann?” He turns to the girl. “What do you think? Do you want to make the card?”

“Oh… umm…” She crosses her arms and thinks for a second. “I’d probably make it too girly and no one would take it seriously.”

“So I’ll take that as a no? And Ryuji will be the one to do it?”

She sighs. “Yeah. He can write it.”

“That settles it.” Akira turns back to the other blonde with a smile. “You’ll write it out Ryuji.”

“Yeah, I got this!” He beamed back at him.

“Just don’t make it obvious. If they find out our identities, all this work will be for nothing…” Ann looks to him with a stern face.

“I know, I know.”

“Okay. Tomorrow it is then. We can’t afford to get lazy on this.” Morgana nodded. They dismissed for the day and headed their separate ways. Shuichi relayed the message to Kaede and Rantaro, which they messaged in the combined group chat that they’ll be ready and they’ll do their best for this mission to succeed.

* * *

The next morning, the school was in a ruckus in the morning. Ryuji set up the calling cards all over the bulletin boards of the second floor of the school before other students could see that it was him who put them up. Ann and Morgana weren’t too impressed at the design of his logo and choice of words but it got the crowd of students talking about it.

Shuichi hasn’t joined them yet as he was running a bit late. The trio murmured to one another until Kamoshida showed up, clearly distressed about the calling cards directed to him. As the students ran away from his growing anger, he spotted the trio and asked them if they were the ones who posted them.

“What are you talking about?” Akira looked at him blankly, unflinching.

“So you’re gonna play dumb, huh?” He huffed in annoyance. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll be expelled soon enough anyway.”

All of a sudden, their scenery distorted for a moment. Kamoshida was changed into his Shadow counterpart, sneering at them.

“Come… steal it, if you can!” It threatened the Persona users.

Their vision restored back to Shujin academy and the PE teacher walking away from them. Shuichi finally arrived and jogged up to them.

“Hey you guys.” He had a worried look on him and switched to a hushed voice. “Did… did you guys see the other Kamoshida just now?” Everyone nodded. “What was that all about?”

“The calling cards have been set up and he’s not taking it very well.” Akira said.

Morgana poked it’s head out from Akira’s bag. “Judging from Kamoshida’s response… I’m sure we had an effect on his Palace!”

“Does that mean the Treasure’s appeared!?” Ann asked. “We’ll be able to get it today, right?”

“It’s not just ‘today’. It’s ‘ONLY’ today. The impact of seeing a calling card doesn’t last long, and it cannot be repeated. This will be our one chance to steal the Treasure.”

“One day’s more than enough for us!” Ryuji said with confidence.

They all nodded and turned to head to their homerooms. Shuichi turned to the bulletin board and looked at the calling card Ryuji made. He read the message and raised a brow at the almost childish logo his classmate made.

“Well… it’s… definitely better than what I could have made…” He muttered under his breath.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The day felt like it dragged on until it was finally the end of the school day. Shuichi stayed back in the real world to wait for his teammates as the other three and Morgana warped to the Metaverse. Ryuji did some warm up stretches while they waited for Shuichi and the other’s to warp to them. They didn’t wait long as they appeared short after. Joker nodded to the group.

“Okay, we’re all here. It’s time to start the show.” Joker told them.

“Let’s go guys. And don’t let your guards down for even a second!” Mona instructed. They all nodded and teleported to the safe room nearest to the throne room.

Once there, they exited the safe room and saw that the throne room’s door was wide open. Not a sign of Shadow Kamoshida or anything.

“What the hell’s goin’ on here? The door’s just sittin’ open, and there aren’t any soldiers around…”

“This place is probably undermanned now that they all got assigned somewhere.” Mona muses.

“They never suspected we could warp around in safe rooms.” Aria giggled. “And they left the room wide open for us. This will be a walk in the park.”

“Either way, we win as long as we can steal the Treasure! Let’s keep going!” Mona waddles ahead.

Shuichi’s detective instincts are kicking in, suspecting that this room is rigged with a trap somehow. He’ll keep an eye out in case something suspicious happens. They ran past the throne and up the stairs to the door that leads to the Treasure.

What was once a floating white orb now has a giant sparkling crown that has taken its spot. It glinted and shone under the light, making the teens and cat stare at it with wonder. Mona jumped for joy seeing how it has fully materialized. It jumped to the Treasure and started meowing and purring.

“That’s not catnip…” Joker said.

“Nor does it look like it’s stuffed with it.” Scout chuckled.

“All right, that’s enough, you stupid cat!” Skull said.

Mona hurriedly jumped off the crown looking embarrassed. “I apologize… I didn’t mean to display such an unsightly behaviour in front of the ladies…”

“You were completely out of character too. What was that about?” Ann said.

“I couldn’t stop it either… To think I’d be drawn to human desires this much...” Mona perks it’s ears up. “Doesn’t that prove I’m human!?”

“How should we know!?” Ryuji said.

Kaede leaned in to Shuichi to whisper to him. “With the way it acted just now, I’m almost inclined to believe it isn’t.” Shuichi just nods.

“A-Anyway, you guys are gonna have to carry it.”

Skull huffed. “Man, all you do is bark orders…” Everyone except Mona gathered around the crown. “Still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for sure there’d be some insane trap or something.”

Shuichi does think that this has been a bit too easy. Is there really no trap? Is he overthinking things?

“The Palace will disappear if we take this back, right?” Ann asked. “And Kamoshida will change too…”

“That should be the case.” Mona nods.

“Good. Now’s our chance then.” Skull said as he grabbed the rim of the crown.

Everyone grabbed it and slightly staggered but they were able to balance out the weight of the treasure. They hobbled out of the treasure room with baby steps, careful to not stumble as they walk out. Mona waddled up front to guide their way.

“Even with six people… erk- it’s really heavy…” Ace says.

“A-Are we really gonna bring this giant crown back to the real world? Nguh… Won’t people think we robbed a bank or museum?” Aria says.

“Not just that… but won’t the guards see us while we’re doing this, Mona?” Scout asks.

“We just have to bring it to the safe room and warp back to the front of the castle. Then, we leave this place and the castle should-”

A woman’s cheering stopped them in their tracks and next thing they know, something hits the crown and sends it flying out of their grasps. The teens look up to the throne in time to see the crown shrink to a wearable size and Shadow Kamoshida landing perfectly to grab it.

“I won’t let you take this!” The king’s voice dripped with annoyance. “This proves that I am the king of this castle- it is the core of this world!”

The cognitive version of Ann dressed in skimpy underwear comes up to Kamoshida and is very intimate with him, making Panther scowl and anger starting to boil within her.

“W-Wait…! There’s another you!?” Aria asked.

“It’s not really the same Panther. That’s a cognitive version of her. Basically, how Kamoshida sees her, making it act the way he wants Lady Ann to act.” Mona says.

Aria frowns at the explanation. “No way… then he probably thinks the same about most girls…”

“Yo, pervert. Were you waitin’ to ambush us?” Ryuji scowls.

“I just made it easy to find you.” He sneers. “I’ll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now.”

“Damnit…” Shuichi curses under his breath. He should have trusted his gut; there was a trap.

“That’s our line, you sexually-harassin’ d-bag!” Ryuji stomps a foot.

“What a selfish misunderstanding…” Kamoshida smirks.

“How is it a misunderstanding!? You were doing things that you kept in secret from others!” Ann raised her voice.

“People around me were the ones who kept it a secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners…” He smiles evilly. “They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it.”

“Profit!?” Skull said.

“There are too many imbeciles who don’t understand that! Including naïve brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!”

“True, she’s a total idiot…” Panther straightened herself.

“W-What!? Panther!?” Aria looked at her incredulously.

The blonde in red shook her head. “Letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide… And I’m even more of a dumbass for not realizing that!”

She turns to Kaede with and gave her a small determined smile then turns back to Kamoshida. “But no matter what kind of fool someone might be… they don’t need permission to live their lives!”

“Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There is no wrong in using my gifts for my gain!” He raised his head slightly at them. “I’m a cut above all other humans!”

“Above? You mean beneath. You’re a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!” Ann spat back.

“She’s right!” Aria spoke up, everyone’s attention to her. “From all the things they’ve told us about you, you’re not even remotely human! How could you- no, how dare you do something as push her friend to commit suicide!”

“And how dare you justify breaking Skull’s leg as self defense when you instigated him to attack you! That’s not right at all!” Scout raised his voice and narrowed his eyes at the king.

Shuichi adjusts his cap and stares back at the shadow’s golden irises behind his mask. “You’ve gotten away with too many assaults by abusing your power. Once you’re defeated, the truth of your crimes will come to light, and you will be taken in to custody!”

“That voice…” He stares back at Ace. “Hmph! So you’re the other new kid at school, huh? So you were dragged into this along with those two other chumps. You lot have no say in this! You’re just outsiders that were rallied because you don’t know better than to stick your nose in other people’s business!”

He snaps a finger a group of guards formed from the ground, and before the Persona users could do anything, they were knocked down individually with hard shove from the shields. Aria, Scout, and Ace grunted in pain.

“Tch! Damnit…!” Joker muttered under his breath, not acting fast enough to keep them out of trouble.

“Aria! You guys!” Panther called out.

“You…! You bastard!” Skull shouted.

“Take those three to the dungeon. Execute the boys and save the other girl. I have plans for her.” He smirked and Kaede shivered at the thought.

“W-What!?” Panther’s fists shook with anger. “I’m not gonna let you do anything to them!”

“Ah! Not another step to them!” Kamoshida raised a hand. “Get any closer to them and I’ll have the guards cut their heads off, right here in front of you.”

The shadow guards brought the three of them to their feet and a sword near their necks. Panther took a step back begrudgingly and the Shujin kids could do nothing as they stare helplessly at the other half.

“You play effin’ dirty, you shitbag!” Ryuji cursed.

“That’s rich coming from you! Seven against one? How is that fair?” He smirked. “It doesn’t matter; you three are the ones who have caused me too much trouble. I can take you on easily. Take those three to the dungeons.”

The guards nodded and shuffled Ace, Scout, and Aria out of the room.

“D-Don’t worry about us!” Aria shouted to the Shujin teens. “We’ll be fine! We’ll escape and come right back here to help you guys! So don’t lose! Beat that sick bastard up! I believe in you! We believe in you!”

Aria’s words of encouragement echoed as the doors shut in front of them. As the trio were dragged away, a small rumbling came from the throne room and a distorted laugh from Kamoshida.

* * *

The Shujin kids and Morgana battled Kamoshida’s true form. They were all grossed out at it’s freakishly long tongue and many arms. Their attacks landed but barely looked like it only hurt the shadow a tiny amount. The shadow laughed at their attempts and healed up by taking something from a gold trophy.

“Dammit! He’s healin’ off our attacks!” Skull said.

“Then we gotta destroy that first!” Mona commands.

Everyone nods and alternated their attacks at the trophy. It was sturdy but there were definite cracks and scratches starting to show. This angered Kamoshida and warned them to leave it alone.

“Well, that’s a reaction if I’ve ever seen one.” Joker smirked.

“When someone tells us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more!” Mona goes in with garu spell, further damaging it.

Kamoshida raged and shouted at them but they ignored his complaints and thrashed on the golden trophy. It took a few minutes but with one last swing of Ryuji’s pipe, the trophy was no more.

* * *

The guards reached the main lobby with the other half of students. As they were being escorted to the dungeons, Scout had been plotting. The guards have an arm around each of their necks as they hobbled down. If he could just reach up to his mask, he could blow the guards away with a Magaru spell and they’d be free.

An idea comes to mind. He’s not the best at acting, but it’s worth a shot.

“Ah… Hah…” Scout scrunched his face and-

“ACHOO!!!”

‘Argh! You damn snotty brat! I just polished this!’

Scout sneezed on the guard’s arm and sprayed spit on it, forcing the guard to recoil and drop him to the ground. The other two guards turned back to see what happened, letting their guard down. That allowed Scout to sweep them up off the ground, including the one he sneezed on, with a Magaru spell while safely not getting his teammates caught in it.

“Nice one, Scout!” Kaede smiled as she and Shuichi ran to him.

‘Halt! Grk! Intruders!’ The guards started getting up. ‘Don’t let them escape!’

All three guards dissipated into the ground and reformed into the similar phallic shadow from before. Aria physically grimaced at it.

“Ugh! Seriously!? Out of all the shadows, this thing is back…”

“Let’s make quick work of this. We gotta head back up to the others and help them out.” Scout said.

“Yeah. We’ll try and keep it from focusing on you Aria.” Ace nods to her and she nods back.

Just when they thought they can handle the situation, more guards came bursting through the doors that lead to the dungeons.

‘You will not escape! We shall fulfill the king’s wish!’

“Damnit! This isn’t good…” Shuichi adjusted his hat.

“We’re out numbered. More so than usual.” Scout surveys the amount of guards. “The painting’s right behind us. On the count of three, we run for it and take the elevator.”

Without waiting for any more confirmations, Scout began counting down.

“One, two… three! Now!”

* * *

“Sorry Suzui-san…” Joker muttered as he switches to Agathion and takes down the cognitive version of Shiho, wearing a skimpy outfit almost like the cognitive version of Ann. The cognitive version goes down with a shriek, making Kamoshida lash out.

“You’re disgusting for thinking of Shiho like that! I’ll never forgive you, Kamoshida!” Panther shouts back.

“Sorry, Suzui… I swear we’ll beat that bastard’s ass!” Skull said.

The group was starting to get worn out from all the volleyball spikes the shadow serves them. Joker knows that brute force isn’t going to work in the long run. They’ll go down from fatigue before they can finish off the shadow. He really wishes the others are okay and that they were here to help them. If anything, they’ll have to go get them once this fight is over.

He surveys the surroundings quickly as his teammates and Kamoshida bad mouth each other. A glint from the crown makes him aware of the treasure that sits on the shadow’s head. He sees the columns that are adjacent to the shadow.

That’s it!

“Joker, what do we do!?” Mona asks frantically.

“We go for the crown. If we can knock it off of him, he’ll be too distracted about it and we can catch him off guard.”

“How’re we gonna do that?” Panther asks.

“I’m gonna need one of you to go up that terrace- Crap!” Joker nimbly dodges a stab of the giant fork. “Go up the terrace and knock it off of his head. We’ll be the distraction for whoever needs to disengage the fight.”

“You brats are getting on my last nerve! Slaves! Bring me more balls!” There was a beat of silence and the shadow looks around. “What!? Am I really out of slaves!?”

Joker thinks quickly on who to send. Knowing that Mona and Panther have healing skills and he himself has a few Personas he can switch to for healing, they can keep each other up as the distractions. Which means-

“Skull,” He turns to him. “Go and take the off the crown! We’ll distract him for you.”

The blonde boy grinned ecstatically at the opportunity. “You got it, Joker!” In all honesty, Skull was hoping to be the one to do it so he can knock Kamoshida down a peg by taking off the crown.

“Mona, Panther, spread out and help me distract Kamoshida. Don’t hesitate to heal up if you think you can’t take another hit.”

They nod and got into place.

* * *

‘They ran this way! Don’t let them get away!’

The guards ran past a safe room; their heavy footsteps stampeding down the hall until they pattered out. The safe room door opened slightly and Kaede poke her head out.

“The coast is clear.”

They stepped out of the safe room closest to the throne room. They finally made it; it only took a few fights and hiding from the guards. The sounds of fighting can be heard in the room.

“We should hurry! We’re probably not too late!” Ace said.

They reached for the door and surprisingly, it wasn’t locked. The barged in to see the giant form of Shadow Kamoshida. Aria was disgusted by it but she pulled herself together immediately. Ace notice one missing person in the fight, and it was Skull. To the corner of his eye, he spots a splotch of yellow near the statue. He seems to be hiding, but what for?

“Now listen up.” Kamoshida cracks his whip. “This school exists because I’m around. You’re the only ones who don’t respect me you know!”

They don’t seem to notice that they’ve entered. Ace notices Ryuji carefully climbing the statue.

“C’mon, let’s help them out. Scout, you go with Mona. Ace, go with Joker. I’ll take Panther’s side.”

They ran up to their respective partners. Joker, Panther, and Mona were relieved to see they were all right. The sight of more fighters displeased the shadow.

“What!? How did you escape!? My guards should have taken care of you!” He scoffed. “No matter. I’ll finish you all!”

Joker, Panther, and Mona told their partner the plan about knocking the crown off and how Skull will be the one to do it as they distract the shadow. Mona and Scout unleashed bursts of wind, Panther casted fire, Aria, healed everyone with a Media spell, while Joker and Ace switched Personas to try and see what could do more damage.

“Graaarggghhh! You brats have it all misunderstood! I haven’t sexually harassed anyone! They came on to me because they wanted to get on my good side!”

“Tch. That’s a load of shit and you know it.” Ryuji muttered under his breath as to not get caught. He was almost to the terrace. Thanks to him working out again, he’s got strength to pull himself up with ease.

As the battle rages on, Skull nimbly and quietly hid behind a potted plant on top of a wide ledge. This ledge was the closest to the crown. He can definitely make jump for it from here. He can feel his bad leg starting to act up again and he cursed it under his breath.

“Eff, not now dammit!”

He massaged his thigh for a moment to get it to calm down. Looking down, he finally noticed Aria, Scout, and Ace had returned to help distract Kamoshida. He smiled inwardly as he was glad that they were okay. Okay, a few more presses on this spot. Massage in circles and then-

“Hey! Is there one less of you?” Kamoshida surveys the fighters. “I knew it! They’re missing! Where’d they go!?”

“Damnit! He noticed.” Joker muttered.

“Heh, I’m right here asshole!” Ryuji leapt with all his legs could give him. He swung his pipe at the crown and it knocked it off Kamoshida’s head. Skull rolled on the carpet as he landed to soften the landing, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

“Aaarrrrgghhhh!!!” The shadow became flustered without the crown.

“Skull! You did it!” Joker ran up to him and placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. “That was awesome!”

“Heh. It was no sweat at all!”

“Alright! Kamoshida’s shaken up!” Mona says.

“I think we can do this!” Panther smiles.

“C’mon everyone! Let’s give it everything we’ve got!” Aria rallies them.

“It’s showtime! Go for an All Out Attack!” Joker commanded.

* * *

Ann stood with anger in her eyes; Carmen right behind her holding up a fireball. Kamoshida had just tossed the treasure to Joker, catching it with ease. Kamoshida had accepted defeat. The shadow was ready to be erased, killing the real world athlete in the process. All the boys stood awkwardly as Panther was the one to decide its fate. As much as Ace would prefer to have Kamoshida turn himself in, he can’t really blame her if she decides to end his life.

Kaede walked up to her and placed a hand on Ann’s shoulder. The two blonde’s shared a look. Behind the purple mask, Ann looked into soft and understanding violet eyes. Ann turned back to Kamoshida and had Carmen throw the last fireball.

“Ann!” Skull called out as the boys widened their eyes.

The fireball grazed past Kamoshida, hitting the balcony behind him. Carmen disappeared and reverted back to Panther’s mask. Her eyes still burning with rage behind it, not leaving the shadow.

There a pause and Ann took in a deep breath. “If his mind shuts down, he can’t admit his crimes.”

“You’re kind Lady Ann…”

Kaede smiled and let go of her shoulder. She turned back to Shuichi and he nodded to her, silently thanking her.

“I’ve lost. What… What am I supposed to do now…?” The shadow said dejectedly.

“Atone for your sins. Confess to your wrong doings. You’ve caused too much hurt to many students.” Joker said with a stern voice.

The shadow nodded. A bright light surrounded it as it became transparent as well. With a flash of light, Kamoshida disappeared. It’s over. It’s finally over. The students of Shujin are safe from the PE teacher.

Just as Kaede was about to say something, the Palace started to rumble and shake.

“The Palace is starting to collapse. We have to leave right away!”

“Run!” Ryuji shouted as they all made a bolt for the door.

Debris has started falling to the floor. Joker lead the way with everyone else following suit. Mona had transformed back into cat form and hopped on to Joker’s shoulders. Kaede cursed under her breath for wearing pumps for her Metaverse outfit. All the running around the castle has finally started to wear out her feet, surprised that she was able to go a very long time with them on.

Ryuji’s leg started acting up again, on the worst time. He winced with each pressure he put on it as he ran. If he can just endure it for a little-

“Gaah!” The spiky blonde collapsed to the floor clutching his leg.

“Aaah!!” Kaede stumbles to the ground as well, tripping on a piece of debris. A collective amount of voices called out to them simultaneously.

“Heh… it’s been a while, so I just tripped, is all!” He flashed a quick smile at them, putting on a brave face.

“Ow, ow. My head hurts…” Kaede clutched her head, feeling déjà vu from the pain.

Akira and Rantaro ran back to help Ryuji while Ann and Shuichi helped Kaede. “Can you stand?” The green haired boy asked as he took one side and Akira the other to assist him in getting up.

“Y-Yeah, thanks-” Before he could get flustered at their help, the ceiling and walls were collapsing faster behind them.

“C-Crap! C’mon, we gotta go!”

Everyone kept running and they could see the end light at the end of the hall; the exit out of the Metaverse. Kaede winced at her headache but she endured it until they were out. As they got closer, they could feel their surroundings shift and before they knew it, they were out of there.

* * *

Later that night, Akira flopped down on his bed and sighed at the comfort of it. Well, as much comfort as he can get from an old mattress and a bunch of boxes as a bed frame. He felt exhausted physically and mentally after what he and the others went through in the last couple of hours.

Metaverse, cognition, shadows, treasure, Personas…

Not to mention being a ‘wild card’ and the whole Velvet Room situation.

“Looks like you got stuff going on in that brain of yours.” Morgana hops on to the bed. Of course he can’t forget about Morgana’s situation.

“Yeah. Today was… a lot.”

“It was. But you and everyone did so well for facing a palace ruler. Not just that, but your leadership skills is amazing.”

“You think so?”

“Of course! Taking down the crown was genius! I knew you had some hidden potential in you.”

Akira chuckled. “Thanks Morgana. I still can’t believe that we did all of that just a couple of hours ago. It just feels… surreal. Like, we literally defeated a demon king.”

“I know. It’s quite a lot to digest. But, I’m very sure that after the deadline, we’ll see Kamoshida confess to everything.”

“So we just gotta wait then…”

Morgana purred and settled beside Akira. He picked up his phone and looked at the conversations that happened in the group chat. Two particular people he eyed their profile pictures were Shuichi and Kaede.

Two other wild card Persona users who also had access to the Velvet Room. They are supposed to help me in my rehabilitation, as Igor calls it. Am I going to need their help when things get tough?

One thing he knows for sure is that he'll have to properly thank them for their help. Possibly hang out with them some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the abrupt ending. Was kind of over writing this chapter and wanted to post it already lol.
> 
> So for the Kamoshida fight, I wanted to have the P5 cast battle him for the most part as they've been affected by him the most, which is why I had to come up with a way to have the V3 kids be gone for majority of it but also seeing as what they've been doing while away. I also intigrated the Royal version of the fight (adding cognitive Mishima and Suzui) instead of the base P5 game as it adds to the fight and story.
> 
> After the Kamoshida arc, it's gonna be new story on how we'll meet and recruit other of the V3 cast I had in mind as Persona users. We'll still see a bit of P5 story though, don't worry. And more character interactions as I continue the story.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a kudos or comment if you did! Any critiques would be helpful too!


	12. Hard Work Pays Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The newest chapter is here! Sorry for the wait y'all. Motivation has been a little low plus playing through Genshin Impact (which I'm addicted to and may or may not write fanfics on that) and other life stuff. Updates will definitely be slower than they used to be and I'm sorry about that. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless.

Morning classes went by uneventful in Shujin. Though the morning felt… oddly peaceful. Not necessarily peaceful as in everyone suddenly was nice to Akira and Ryuji. Peaceful as in there wasn’t such an oppressive atmosphere caused by one person. Ryuji, Akira, and Shuichi met up in the hallway around lunchtime, further away from the other students, to talk about something.

“Have you seen Kamoshida?” The blonde asked.

“Nope.” The glasses boy shook his head.

“No, I haven’t.” Shuichi said.

The boys noticed the absence of the PE teacher’s presence. They haven’t seen him or heard his voice the whole morning.

“You really think he’s changed?” Ryuji asked.

“It’s possible… it’s hard to say.” The novice detective said, thinking of other explanation for the teacher’s absence.

“I hope so. Otherwise, that whole fight we did yesterday would have been a waste of time.” Akira twists a piece of his bangs on his face.

“Oh, perfect timing!” Kawakami comes up to them, making the boys give her their attention. “Study hall will be held instead of PE today. I’m letting you know just in case you haven’t heard. Mr. Kamoshida has taken the day off.”

“He ain’t here…?” Ryuji’s eyes widen.

Kawakami looks around for a second before lowering her voice. “Don’t tell anyone that you heard this from me… but we received word that Mr. Kamoshida is placing himself under suspension. It’s such an important time before the tournament too…”

The boys looked at her expectantly after she said that. He was placing himself under suspension? Did he have a change of heart? Were they actually able to do it?

“Principal Kobayakawa went to talk to him about it, but he supposedly wasn’t making any sense…”

“Wait, a suspension!?” Ryuji raised his voice.

“Not so loud!” She scowled back at him in irritation. “The talks about your expulsions may be put on hold too… I don’t know too much about it though… Obviously you’re not included Saihara-kun, since Mr. Kamoshida didn’t mention you.” Shuichi nods to her. “Anyway, I’ve relayed what’s going on to you.”

With that, the homeroom teacher turned and walked away from them. The boys stood there for a second taking in the new information they were given.

“Looks like something happened…” The runner crossed his arms.

“At least it sounds different from a mental shutdown…” Shuichi ponders.

Akira nods. “Nothing we can do for now. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.”

* * *

The rest of the day and remaining days until the deadline opened up a lot of free time to do whatever the teens decide to do. Ann had decided to visit Shiho for a few days after school, so hanging out with her isn’t an option at the moment. Shuichi had to leave immediately, saying he had to help out at his ‘workplace’. And he felt like he wasn’t confident enough to text Kaede or Rantaro to hang out with. So that just left with-

“Yo, Akira.” Ryuji nodded to him. “I’m gonna be doin’ some trainin’ today. You wanna come with? To be honest I’d prolly just slack off by myself… I mean, it’s better workin’ with a partner, yeah?”

He nods to the statement. “Well, I was gonna go study since I don’t have much to do…” For a second, he saw Ryuji’s eyes cast down slightly. “…but sure, I’ll train with you. I can study later.” He smiled at the blonde.

Hearing that made the other boy beam with a bright grin. “Awesome, man. Get changed and meet me behind the gym.”

Morgana went for a walk to leave the boys to their training. It consisted of doing laps around the area, push ups, sit ups, and other body weight exercises. They trained until the sun was starting to set and the sky turned orange. By this time, Ryuji’s leg was starting to act up again.

“Are you okay, Ryuji?” Akira asked as he sees Ryuji massaging his leg.

The blonde was catching his breath as he pressed his fingers on his thigh. “Ugh… damnit! I wanna move better… but I just can’t…”

“Hey, let’s stop for the day. If your leg is hurting then you shouldn’t strain it too much.” Akira pats him on the shoulder and it sort of eases the runner.

Once he’s caught his breath and soothed the pain on his leg, he wipes the sweat from his forehead. “I was trainin’ for nationals back in the day… but now I totally suck balls.” He said dejectedly.

Before Akira was about to say something to encourage his friend, an unknown voice calls to them. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The two turned to a small group of guys that walked up to them. All three students look irritated and annoyed, more so to the blonde.

“Nakaoka… Takeishi…” Ryuji shuffled awkwardly at their gaze.

“…Running, huh? I saw you from the window.” Nakaoka said.

“What, you gonna try to come crawling back to the track team?” Takeishi said with annoyance.

“Huh? H-Hell no…” The blonde frowned.

“Speaking of which, this was your secret training spot, wasn’t it? Well, it’s our spot now. You know, us. The former track team.” Nakaoka said.

“We don’t even have a locker room anymore, thanks to someone I know.” Takeishi scowled at the blonde and Ryuji awkwardly kicks some dirt on the ground.

“Hey now, let’s not start a fight.” Akira chimes in.

“We ain’t fightin’ dude… ‘s alright.”

“Yeah, this isn’t anything like a fight. Not even close.” Nakaoka furrowed his brows at the glasses boy. “Hold on, aren’t you that transfer student? You’re really gonna hang around with this loser.”

“You better watch out. He’ll hit you the second he gets pissed off.” The third track member spoke up. “I heard his dad was the same way. Like father like son, right? Now that’s some scary shit."

“That don’t got anything to do with this…” Ryuji scowled back with a bit of gruffness to his voice, obviously irritated by those statements.

Akira can sense a fight about to happen if the ex-track members continue to talk badly about Ryuji and that’s the last thing they need right now.

“Ryuji, calm down. Don’t let them get to you.” Akira whispered and gently nudged him with his elbow. He gave him a soft look and it seemed to have diffused the blonde’s irritation.

“…You’re right.” Ryuji rubs the back of his neck and turns back to the track team. “Look, back then, I…”

“I don’t need to hear your excuses. Everyone was going through the same bullshit with Kamoshida. The beatings, the impossible exercises… but we put up with all of it for the track team.” Nakaoka steps forward to Ryuji, anger just behind his eyes.

“But, no. You had to go and fuck all of that up! Man I was stupid for ever thinking you were my teammate.” He shook his head and turned away. “That’s all I have to say to you. I’m outta here.”

There was a beat of silence between the Persona users as the ex-track team left. Ryuji sighed defeatedly. “I nearly smacked him when he was talkin’ about my dad… I haven’t changed at all.” He muttered.

Akira stepped forward and put a hand on the other’s shoulder. “That’s not true. If you haven’t changed, then you would have hit him.” He smiled. “But you didn’t. That looks like change to me.”

That lifted up Ryuji’s spirits hearing that. “Heh, thanks dude. I still got a lot of changin’ to do though.” He rubs the back of his neck, a habit that Akira seems to have noticed. “But y’know… you actually helped me calm down a little.” Ryuji smiled. “I’m glad you were here with me. Thanks, Akira!”

Akira can feel his bond with Ryuji getting stronger. They high fived and got changed to head home.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Once classes were over, Shuichi received a text saying that he was needed at his uncle’s agency to help out on fixing up some of the documentations. He hopes that it won’t take too long as he was planning to study later, as he was still new to Shujin and is almost caught up with the missed lectures and subjects. The train arrived and he stepped in, immediately finding a free spot to sit in.

As the train started to move again after the passengers have boarded, he thinks back to what happened yesterday: the fight with Kamoshida’s shadow. Thinking about it now, they all could have died in that dimension. Not just from the fight against shadows and the palace ruler, but from the crumbling palace too. Kaede and Ryuji stumbling gave him and everyone a scare as they might not make it out in time. It was a miracle they were able to, but just by the skin of their teeth.

He sighed and leaned back against the seat. Suddenly, he felt like someone was staring at him. On instinct he pulled the bill of his hat lower to cover his eyes, but he only grasped at air. He forgot that he left his hat today before rushing out of the house to get to the trains. His eyes wandered around the cart but no one was looking at him. He was about to give up until his eyes landed on a short girl with short red hair.

The girl stared at him with half-lidded, almost bored eyes at him. Her short legs swung at the edge of the seat and her uniform isn’t that of Shujin’s. The two girls next to her wore the same uniform and were talking in hushed whispers. Perhaps that’s her friends? Shuichi broke eye contact and brought out a book to read as he waits for his next stop.

The red haired girl continued to stare at him until one of her friends with long white hair in pigtails giggled. The other girl who sat in-between the red and white haired girl has an annoyed look on the latter. She turns to the red haired girl about to say something to her but noticed she was staring at the undercover detective. Her eyes followed to Shuichi and she made an unamused face.

She nudged the red haired girl and she turned to her. “Did that boy look at you weirdly? Do you need me to punch him?”

“Nyeh….” She looked away and took out a book and began reading, leaving the other girl somewhat confused.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**[Ann]** : I went to see Shiho today. I told her we settled things with Kamoshida. She still hasn’t regained consciousness… but I wanted to make amends.

 **[Ryuji]** : Whaddya mean? You didn’t do anything wrong, Ann. Right, Akira?

 **[Akira]** : Yeah. It’s not your fault, Ann.

 **[Ann]** : But I wasn’t there when she needed help. I’m a failure as a friend… I have to do all I can to make up for that, starting now. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to move on.

 **[Ryuji]** : Man, I didn’t know you were so passionate. I totally didn’t notice that back in middle school.

 **[Ann]** : I think it’s because of you guys. Kaede too. I’m a little embarrassed though. Anyway, Ryuji, Akira, I hope we can keep helping each other from now on too. I’ll thank Shuichi and the others as well.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Akira looks up to Sojiro. “Something I wanna ask you. C’mere, let’s have a chat.”

Akira pocketed his phone and walked over to his caretaker. Sojiro finished up a bit of cleaning on the counter and walked to the other side. He leaned against the counter and adjusted his glasses.

“So, how’s school?”

Not what Akira was expecting. He was sure he’d be getting a scolding for something he did but he isn’t sure what for. “Oh… it’s, uh, going well.”

“You’re not causing any trouble, are you?”

“No, I’m not.” Akira decided against making a witty remark. It’s best to get on his good side.

“Good.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I’ve gotta report to your probation officer twice a month. It’s already a pain in the ass as is, so please don’t make me have to write even more crap.” He raises a skeptic brow. “Got that? This society is kept in check by laws and authority figures.”

Akira nods. “Yes. I got it.” It doesn’t sit well with Akira that he has to submit to cruel adults, but he keeps it buried.

“You can go and get yourself killed if you want, but don’t go dragging other people into your mess. The last thing we need is more idiots like you roaming around.”

Sojiro’s phone rang in his pocket and he answers it. This gave Akira a few seconds to sink in what he said. The man’s words stung, he can’t deny that. He lowers his head so the light glares the lenses, to hide the hurt in his grey eyes. The older man’s voice is soft and understanding to whoever he’s talking to on the other end of the line. Is it a woman he’s seeing? Is it one of his kids? Does he even have a child he’s taking care of?

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” He has a genuine smile as he said that and ended the call. “As you can see, I’m pretty damn busy both at work and in my private life. If you could lend a hand, it’d really be a great help…”

Help out in the café? Akira has never worked a day in his life. But this will probably be a good experience for him in the long run. Maybe he can get closer to Sojiro too.

Akira straightened up. “Sure. I’d be glad to.”

“Now we’re talking.” Sojiro smirked. “Either way, I won’t ask you to work for free. If you agree to help me, then I’ll teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Not a bad trade, eh?”

The glasses boy wishes he got a better trade off but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say. “Sounds interesting.” He said.

“All right. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a deal.” Sojiro smiled. “I’ll be counting on your help.”

The rest of the evening was spent on a brief tour of the ins and out of the café and how some of the equipment operated. There was a pile of dirty dishes and cutlery on the sink so Sojiro just had Akira clean those off for now, as he needed to get going. A small smile made it’s way to Akira’s face when Sojiro complimented him on being a fast learner.

“Just keep doing what you can. And don’t cause any trouble, right?”

“Got it.” Akira nodded.

“Glad to hear it.” Sojiro smiled at him, a genuine one.

Maybe that gap between them has started to close, even just a little bit.

* * *

The remaining days until the deadline went by with the teens doing their own thing. Akira visited Takemi for more clinical trials and learned about different coffee beans from Sojiro while helping out at the café (after encountering a suspicious customer that seemed to know the café owner). He’s hanged out with Ryuji a bit more too, growing their friendship stronger.

Ann continued visiting Shiho at the hospital. No signs of her waking up yet but Ann hasn’t lost hope. She doesn’t mind talking even if Shiho can’t hear her. It beats having to listen to the heartrate monitor over the silence for a few hours.

Rantaro kept up with his studies and helped out with his family business at the same time. He also found time to spend it with his sisters, whether it’s to play games with them or to help them in their studies. Well, almost all of his sisters.

Kaede and Shuichi spent time with a few of their confidants as well. The pianist helped a certain nurse gain some self-confidence and Shuichi felt a new bond form when he met a tennis player. There were no classes on April 29, so Kaede asked Shuichi and Rantaro to hang out with her for the day. They’ve been busy after the whole assisting in taking down Kamoshida so now’s a good time to just relax and unwind together.

They all agreed to meet at Shibuya to watch a movie to start things off. Kaede got to the front of the theatre first. Not too long after, Shuichi called out to her as he was just a few meters away from her.

“Hey Shui- ah!” Kaede’s eyes widened at what she saw.

Shuichi blushed and looked away. He wasn’t wearing his hat like he normally does. The one strand of hair on his head that sticks out is out in the open, swaying against the light breeze.

“Um… good morning, Kaede.”

“Y-Yeah, good morning…” This is the first time she’s seen him without his hat. A somewhat pale complexion, sharp jawline, and olive coloured eyes under the sun.

“Y-You don’t have to stare… I just took off my hat is all…” Shuichi blushed a bit more and scratched his face.

“Oh! Sorry!” Kaede felt embarrassed for staring. “You look really good though! Like I thought you would be!” She smiled at him.

“T-Thank you…” He blushed. “I, uh, thought that… it was getting in the way. And… I wanted to stop using it as a crutch to hide away…”

“Well, that’s a good start!” She firmly places her hands on his shoulder. “I’m glad to see you changing.” He nods and gave her a small smile.

“Hey there, lovebirds.” Rantaro said cooly, appearing so suddenly.

Kaede sputtered and put her hands behind her back with a blush. “W-What do you mean, ‘lovebirds’?” She narrowed her eyes at the green haired boy.

“Hey now, I’m just joking.” Rantaro raised his hands defensively with a smile. “Did you forget to bring your hat, Shuichi?”

“N-No…” Shuichi shared a light pink face as Kaede. “I… wanted to get used to not wearing it…”

“That’s good. You’re learning to not hide away.” Rantaro nodded to him. “It’ll take some time to get used to, but you’ll adapt quickly.”

Kaede nodded to them. “Alright! Let’s get going! We still have to buy popcorn.”

“Y-Yeah.”

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Akira received a text from Ryuji early morning about hanging out with him. The waiting game has made the blonde antsy and restless, constantly needing something to do to keep him occupied. Akira doesn’t have much going today so he might as well go meet up with him. The wild card made his way to the arcade in Shibuya, where Ryuji waited for him.

He found the blonde looking at some of the arcade machines. Some pinball machines, a few shooting games, crane games, racing games, even an air hockey table. They all looked fun to try out. There wasn’t anything fun like this back in Akira’s hometown. Ryuji noticed him and smiled, making his way to him. After an exchange of greeting and small talk, Ryuji scratched his head and furrowed his short brows, confessing that he feels the need to vent out something that’s bothering him.

The glasses boy agreed to go talk about it over some ramen, a little curious as to what’s bothering his friend. They took the train to Ogikubo, a little further away from Shibuya, but Ryuji promises that the ramen’s flavor is “outta this world”. Akira chuckles and holds him to it.

Turns out that Ryuji was right! The ramen was really delicious. Better than the ramen he had back in his hometown. The broth wasn’t too salty and the noodles were at the perfect consistency of chewiness. As usual, Ryuji gave some of his ginger to Akira so he could be more nourished. The boys drank the rest of their broth simultaneously and set their bowls down, Ryuji letting out a sigh of contentment.

“That shit’s the best, man! Ramen is life!”

Akira chuckled. “You’re not wrong there. Ramen is delicious.”

“Light soup like this really gets your body goin’ again after a good run, y’know. We used to come all the way out here after practice and…” Ryuji paused, making Akira look at him. “Uh, I guess that’s all in the past…” His voice lowered.

“Ryuji? Everything okay?”

The blonde sighed. “I’ve seen Nakaoka around a few times… But for some reason it don’t look like he’s getting’ along with the others.”

Nakaoka… right, he was the guy with the ex-track members that confronted Ryuji the last time he hanged out with him. “Are you worried about him?”

“Yeah… kinda.”

“But why? He and the other guys were ganging up on you, remember?”

“I’ve been thinkin’ about what he said… how the whole track team was puttin’ up with Kamoshida’s shit…” He frowned. “And how I effed it all up for ‘em… I think he was right.”

“Huh? You’re… agreeing with them that it’s your fault?”

“They don’t even got a club room anymore, so they’ve been storin’ all their stuff behind the gym. They can’t use any school gear either, so they just run laps around the block for practice.” He shook his head. “There ain’t really a place for outcasts like that. I should know better than anyone…”

“Ryuji…” Akira softened his eyes. He couldn’t believe that he’s accepting the blame, when it was clearly Kamoshida. He targeted him which what caused the downfall of the track team. Shouldn’t Ryuji tell the truth of what really went down, he thought.

“It’s good they’re keepin’ their heads low now though. I don’t want ‘em endin’ up like me.”

“But you’re doing great though.” Akira smiled.

Akira feels like he shouldn’t be taking the blame and he should speak up to the track team, but… Ryuji seems to have accepted it in his own terms. Well, if he’s accepted it then there’s probably no point in trying to persuade him to change his mind.

“…Y’know what? You’re right.” Ryuji smiled back. “I guess now that I’m thinkin’ about it, tryin’ to fit in is a real pain in the ass. I mean, I’d never’ve met you guys if I wasn’t an outcast, right?”

“Yeah. That’s true.” Akira adjusted his glasses. He kept to himself how he’s glad that he met Ryuji and that he’s his first friend here in Tokyo.

“For real though, it’s been a shit ton of fun! Hangin’ out with you guys is so freakin’ cool!” Akira couldn’t help widening his smile at how infectious Ryuji’s big grin is.

They spent a little longer in the ramen shop until they paid and went their separate ways. The wild card feels his bond growing stronger with Ryuji.

* * *

The weekend went by quicker than everyone thought, as it was Monday now. The board meeting is today and if Kamoshida doesn’t have a change of heart, Akira and Ryuji are goners from Shujin.

Ann and Ryuji expressed some worry in the group chat in Sunday night, but Akira told them to be hopeful. All that hard work they did must have meant something by tomorrow. Morgana apologizes to Akira that they he can’t provide more reassurance about the situation, but they’re certain that a change of heart should occur.

Monday morning started with a sudden assembly in the gym. The students whispered among each other at what the reason could be. Some surmised that it could be related to Shiho’s attempted suicide or the calling cards about stealing Kamoshida’s distorted desires. They waited with baited breath as the principal appeared and took the stand.

He says that they were informed that Shiho has pulled through but it will take time until she is fully recovered. As he goes on to tell the students to think how important life is, the doors open. There stood Kamoshida with a sullen look and drooped shoulders. The students whispered at his sudden appearance after being away for a week or so. The PE teacher makes his way to the front of the crowd.

“I have repeatedly done things that were… unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students… physically abusing my team, and… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!”

He crumbles to his knees, shaking, as the students mumble at the words he said. Some couldn’t believe what they heard while some were quick to react with disgust. Kamoshida continued to spill out the whole truth about himself, such as him seeing the school as his castle and sentencing students to expulsion just because he didn’t like them but he will rescind those.

With a bowed head, he apologized for his wrong doings. He sinks further to the floor and says that he will take responsibility by killing himself. That sends the students at an uproar, to which the teachers try to calm them down.

“Don’t run, you bastard!” Ann shouts above the students, turning their heads to her. “Shiho’s still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!”

“You’re right… You’re absolutely right… I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes…” Kamoshida straightened up a bit. “I did horrible things to Takamaki-san, as well. In return for giving Suzui-san a position on the team… I… I tried to force her into having relations.”

The students mumbled about how the rumors were true about Ann and how they felt bad for her. They were beyond repulsed at the teacher’s actions. Kamoshida will resign his position and turn himself in to the police.

Akira and Ryuji were together when all the students clamored among to one another. Shuichi was further from them but the Persona users equally heard the students talking about calling cards meant for Kamoshida. Eventually, the teachers managed to send the students to their classrooms. A few students, including Mishima, apologized to Ann for not standing up for her on the way out. Akira gets an apology from the blue haired boy as well for spreading his criminal record and promises to make it up to him somehow.

The Persona users headed up to the rooftop after school to talk about what happened earlier morning. Morgana surmises that persuading the shadow without killing it and sending it back to their real self will activate the change of heart. This way the target won’t go through a cognitive collapse.

Ann shows up a few seconds later, telling them that Shiho has gained consciousness. The model became teary eyed and told the boys and cat about her visit and said that Shiho’s mom is thinking of transferring her to another school after her recovery. She would be labeled for her attempted suicide and the sexual harassment. Ann thinks it’s for the best, and so does Shiho. It will feel lonely without her, but Ryuji assures her that they can see each other any time after school.

“That aside, I was surprised you could hold yourself back against Kamoshida’s shadow.”

“It wasn’t like that… I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize himself.” Ann said.

“You’re so kind Lady Ann.” Morgana’s eyes shimmer at her.

“No matter how much of a shitbag he was, finishing him off woulda left a bad aftertaste, huh?” Ryuji continued.

“Huh? No, that’s not it. I think revenge is better served if I make him repent. Realizing what he’s done, he’ll grovel for forgiveness the rest of his life, you know?” Ann crossed her arms and lowered her voice. “I just believe there are fates worse than death.

“Holy shit…”

That sent a small shiver down the boy’s spine. Though Shuichi agrees with her as he’s had his fair share of watching criminals be put away and rot in their cells.

“W-Well, it’s good that this whole thing has been settled…” Akira twirls his bangs with his fingers.

“But you know, there was one more thing I was wonderin’ about that castle. Why was Kamoshida the only one with that Metaverse thing?” Ryuji slouched in his seat.

“It isn’t necessarily limited to him. It’s something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their own desires.” Morgana says. “Wanna check it out?”

“N-Not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin’ about Kamoshida. Then again, it’s totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace.”

“Yeah, about that… Weird rumors about you guys are already going around. Stuff like, you got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence…” She said mostly to Ryuji and Akira.

“I’ve heard those rumors too, and among other… nonsensical ones.” Shuichi added.

“The hell!?

“Hmm…” Ryuji and Akira said at the same time.

“People aren’t going to easily believe that phantom thieves really exist. The calling card’s being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing.”

“Makes sense…” Ryuji scratched his head. “We’re the ones who did it, and I still don’t completely believe it myself.”

“Let’s wait for things to settle down for the time being.

“That’s the best thing to do for now.” Akira nodded.

Ryuji mentions pawning off the medal. He searches on his phone but he only gets an offer of 30,000 yen. He gets into a friendly bicker with Ann about him owing her money back in middle school. Shuichi and Akira turn to each other and shrug with a small smile on their faces.

Morgana brings up that they should celebrate after the successful mission. Eating luxurious food somewhere would be a good idea. Ann has been meaning to take Shiho to a specific place and Ryuji can’t complain about it since he owes money.

“You good with that, Akira?” Ryuji looks to him.

Akira smiles. “Fine by me. I can experience more of Tokyo.”

“We should bring Lady Kaede and Rantaro too. After all, they were a significant help to us.” Morgana looks to the detective. “How about it, Shuichi?”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.” Shuichi smiles. “I can message them later.”

“I’ll call and check the prices later then.” Ann nods.

They all decided to have their celebration on the last day of the holidays; Children’s Day. It will re-energize them when school starts again on the next day. As for the medal, Morgana looks to Akira saying they know what to do with it. They went their separate ways afterwards.

When Shuichi got home, he messaged his other friends about the celebration outing. Kaede would be thrilled to eat good food with everyone and Rantaro agreed as well.

* * *

Akira’s two days of three of the holidays were surprisingly busy as he helped out with Sojiro in the café, unable to sell the fake medal. The next day, a strange lady with long grey hair and piercing red eyes came into the café as Akira was leaving to pawn off the medal. News of Kamoshida and more mental shutdowns have been all over the news. The lady with grey hair seemed to be conflicted about the whole situation; about people changing their mental state overnight simultaneously.

When the glasses boy told her he goes to Shujin Academy, she knows someone who goes there. He thought that it seemed a little too coincidental that this random lady has someone she knows go to the same school he goes to. Now is definitely the time to lay low and avoid suspicion that he was involved at changing Kamoshida’s heart. He left the café to pawn off the medal at the airsoft shop.

Before he left, the owner handed him a bag as a thanks for selling the medal to him. Though Akira wondered why he can’t open it, has to bring it back the next time he shows up, and why a detective came in and interrogated the owner.

The day of celebration has arrived and the Persona users have already started eating. Kaede sat next to Akira, Shuichi and Rantaro sat opposite of them in individual chairs, Ryuji and Ann occupied the smaller sides of the table. Akira gave Morgana, who was still hiding in his bag, some food as well.

A few plates have already been finished and stacked together. The teenagers were chatting amongst themselves as they enjoyed the food they consumed.

“Mmm… so good…” Ryuji said with a mouth full of beef.

“Wow, this steak is really good!” Rantaro added.

“No wonder Lady Ann chose this place!”

“Of course it’s good. This is a famous hotel, after all.” She smiled.

“Mm! These dumplings are delicious!” Kaede beamed. Ryuji and Shuichi looked up at the two blonde girls, still unable to hear the similarities in their voices.

“Oh yeah, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school.” Ann said lowly to the group.

“That’s troublesome.” Morgana chimed in.

“Our names are gonna come up for sure. People’re spreadin’ all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida…” Ryuji put away an empty plate. “But we got ‘em pumped up! I keep hearin’ stuff like, ‘The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart’. I think most people don’t believe it, but some of ‘em actually seemed grateful. Here, look at this.”

Ryuji pulled out his phone and showed a website called “The Phantom Aficionado Website” to the group. Everyone read some comments how grateful people are for what they did.

“Thank you for giving us hope.” Kaede reads.

“The truth would have been hidden if you didn’t step in. We thank you.” Shuichi reads.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Ryuji smiled.

“Wonder who made that website?” Akira asked.

“Looks like you guys are heroes. Congratulations.” The green haired boy said.

“You helped us out too. Don’t leave yourselves out.” Morgana spoke up.

“Honestly, I mostly did it for myself. Seeing all those comments is… kinda strange.” Ann laughs awkwardly.

“Yeah…” Ryuji puts away his phone. “Hey… what do we do now?”

“Are you done eating? There’s still some food here.” Akira wipes his mouth.

“N-No, I’m still gonna eat, but…”

“Shoot! I forgot this place has a time limit!” Ann stood up abruptly.

“Oh crap, we only got an hour to eat!” Ryuji did the same.

“Just fifty minutes left!”

“I’m not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!”

“I’m gonna get some stuff from the dessert menu!”

“Look after our stuff! We’ll snag somethin’ for you guys too, don’t worry!” The two blondes headed to the table to grab more food.

“I think they’re getting too worked up about the time limit.” Kaede raised a brow at them.

“Just let them be, Kaede.” Rantaro chuckled. “It’s a celebration. Let them stuff themselves as much food as they can.”

“They’ll get a bellyache if they eat too fast.” Shuichi said as he munched on a potato.

“Well there’s seven of us on this table. I’m sure we can finish whatever food they bring back.” Akira smiled.

When the two blonde’s came back, Morgana was horrified at how much meat dishes and desserts they brought back. They also brought back beans for everyone since they didn’t know what they wanted.

“This is just plain nasty! Let’s go grab our own stuff, Akira.”

“Sure. I can go for more.”

“I’ll go with you.” Kaede smiled. “I’ll see what else they have. Do you guys want me to bring stuff for you guys?” She looks to Rantaro and Shuichi.

“I’m still working on my own stuff.” Rantaro said.

“Yeah, same.” The other nodded.

Ryuji teased Ann about her calorie intake as the raven and other blonde left. In their little adventure of grabbing more food, they listened in on some of the other adult’s conversations and with Kaede’s trained hearing, she can hear them clearly. Most of the adults merely touched upon the whole Kamoshida incident but didn’t stay on that topic too long. Kaede furrowed her brows in annoyance when she heard some lady talk down on her and Akira for even eating here when they filled their plate.

“Geez, what’s her deal?”

“Hm? Something wrong?” Akira turns to her.

“Some lady talked badly about us being here. It’s not her business where we eat, you know?”

“Don’t let it get to you, Lady Kaede. We’re here to eat and enjoy ourselves. It is pretty shocking though. A lot of the adults don’t seem very nice. Oh! Can you grab a piece of that barbecue salmon, Akira?”

With a satisfied amount of food they have collected, they headed back to their table. Rantaro and Shuichi finished their plates with the former telling the rest of them one of his travelling adventures and where each accessory he got along the way. Ann still suggests that he take up modeling as his looks could get him somewhere while Ryuji can’t believe he’s travelled to so many places at a young age.

Once Kaede and Akira have settled back down on their seats, Ryuji doted on Akira about eating ‘ritzy’ food and it earned him a genuine reaction of happiness from the glasses boy.

“It’s cute hearin’ that from someone like you. Just don’t get too excited, got it?” Ryuji laughed whole heartedly with Akira chuckling along. The wild card isn't sure why his face feels a little warm though.

Ann realizing that Akira brought back a lot of food compared to Kaede, there’s no way the raven boy isn’t going to finish that in time. Kaede is working on her own plate and Ann is full from eating sweets, so Ryuji drags Shuichi into the fray of eating some of Akira’s portions.

“W-Why me?”

“It’d be a waste dude. Plus, Mona’s right. Who knows when we get to eat good food like this again.”

“Sorry. I think I got carried away with getting more food.” Akira rubs his neck.

“C’mon, senpai. Help us out.” Ryuji turned to the green haired boy.

“Ah, I’m full too. Sorry. And just Rantaro is fine, no need to be formal.”

Ryuji sighed. At least Shuichi is here to help. “Whatever. Let’s deal with this ourselves!”

At some point of trying to finish up the dishes, Shuichi threw in the towel halfway through. But through perseverance, Ryuji, Akira, and Mona finished it all. But the three of them felt the need to use the bathroom. Before they could get up, a snooty older couple judged their table for even being in this high end establishment and walked away.

Before Ryuji could throw a fit at them, he ushered Akira with him to the bathroom. It was on a different floor from where they were so they have to hold it in a little longer. Rantaro asked Shuichi if he needed to go as well but the latter was smart enough to not eat anymore when he couldn’t.

Kaede didn’t take too kindly at the snooty couple’s comments about them. But it immediately washed away when Ann struck a conversation with her. She smiled and conversed with her about her piano recitals, eventually bringing in the other boys into the discussion.

Akira and Ryuji managed to reach the bathroom in time and relieved themselves. As they were about to use the elevator, another rude adult with an entourage of men in suits cut ahead of them. Ryuji called them out for it but they didn’t budge. The blonde boy was shoved back by one of the suit cladded men when the elevators opened.

All of the anger Ryuji felt dissipated when he saw Akira have a hand over his head.

“Yo, Akira, you okay?” He looked at him worriedly.

“I-I’m okay…” He tried to smile through some kind of headache.

Ryuji doubted it but Morgana assumes that it’s because Akira doesn’t eat well. As they boarded the next elevator, Akira can’t help but wonder why that rude man’s voice sounded familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting super long so I had to stop it at 'that part' at the eat out.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave kudos and comment if you did!


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